Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; November 3, 2014)

Their camaraderie goes back a long way. But, professional differences had allegedly kept Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty from working together, their last film being Thank You (2011).

Now we hear that Suniel has done a cameo for the Khiladi’s upcoming film, The Shaukeens starring Lisa Haydon. A source says, “Suniel and Akshay will once again be back on the big screen. This is somewhat special because he will be seen with Akshay in a film after a gap of almost three years. Everyone’s excited as both the actors have a good comic timing. When told about the cameo, Suniel was very excited and gave a date for the shoot immediately.”

Akshay will be playing himself in The Shaukeens. “This is his most special appearance till date. But there are certain fictional traits that have been added to his character. Director Abhishek Sharma felt that getting someone like Suniel Shetty in the film would add to its fun quotient and quirky nature,” says a source close to the project.

Sharma says he approached Suniel for the cameo as he has “shares great chemistry” with Akshay. “They have done maximum films together as costars. They share a great camaraderie. That’s why I put forth the idea of having him in the movie,” the director adds.

On being part of The Shaukeens, Suniel says, “I like the way comedy is evolving and how new directors are coming up with innovative ideas. This (cameo) was really interesting.”