Upala KBR (DNA; May 26, 2016)

In a show of solidarity with director Kabir Khan, who was insulted by hecklers in Pakistan, Boman Irani backed out of a Pakistani production he had signed on for. This film will be directed by 22-year-old Azaan Sami Khan, who is also co-producing with his mother, actress Zeba Bakhtiar.

Says a source in the know, “Azaan wants to make his directorial debut this year and wants to sign top B-Town stars in pivotal roles to make the film more 'international'. Boman heard the script and loved it. He agreed to play the role and everything was on, till the incident with Kabir Khan happened last month at Karachi airport (see box)."

However, Azaan maintains, “Boman liked the film but couldn’t do it because of date issues. The Kabir Khan incident was a one-off incident, sensationalised by the media from both sides of the border. Our film industries have always had respect for each other and Indian stars are much loved in Pakistan. But I understand that this kind of situation would scare people. No artiste would like to be screamed at by anybody.”

Of the film, he says, “The final title of the film, which is a romantic dramedy, hasn’t been locked as yet. We are currently finalising the cast. We start shooting from September. It's a love story revolving around three characters — a boy, girl and the girl's grandfather.”

However, our source insists that the incident has made artistes wary of going to Pakistan, adding, “Boman had accepted the role, but backed out citing date issues. Naturally, he’s upset as he’s very fond of young Azaan and thinks he’s an extremely talented youngster. But he had no choice. Now, Azaan is planning to cast a Pakistani actor in that role. But he’s keen to cast Amitabh Bachchan in another important role in the film, but has no access to him. If Bachchan does it, it will be his first Pakistani film.”