Arjun Kapoor is likely to replace Akshay Kumar in Namastey England, the sequel to the 2007 hit Namastey London.
Vipul Shah, the director of Namastey London, had announced a sequel to the film, and present a new take on how Indians are seen around the world. Contrary to reports, there has not been a fallout between Vipul and Akshay Kumar. Mumbai Mirror reports that Akshay has given the go-ahead for the sequel with Arjun Kapoor.
“Arjun was keen because the franchise provides a unique perspective on how Indians are looked at internationally, and vice versa. But, he wanted to make sure that Akshay had no problems about the franchise moving forward without him, before signing on the dotted line. Last month, Akshay and Vipul, who have been close friends and have collaborated on a dozen films over the last two decades, mutually agreed to go ahead with Arjun. The film will roll early 2018 and like the original, will be shot in Punjab and the UK,” a source close to the makers, has said.
The source adds, “The second film too has been scripted in a manner to appeal to expats and has a Punjabi and Brit flavour.”
Recommended
The 2007 original had Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in the lead, with Katrina playing a British-Punjabi girl who is to be married off to an Indian. The sequel will have a whole new cast, and Mirror speculates that Parineeti Chopra may be approached for the film.
Meanwhile, Arjun Kapoor is awaiting the release of his film Mubarakan, and will likely team with Sidharth Malhotra for the Hindi remake of Thani Oruvan.