Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 15, 2016)

Aanand L Rai who had commissioned Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana director Sameer Sharma to helm his next production, the romance-drama Manmarziyan featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar, scrapped the film after seeing rushes from the first schedule in Shimla and Punjab. According to him, they didn’t do justice to Kanika Dhillon’s script.

Next up, Nil Battey Sannata director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari was brought on board to rework the script and start afresh in Mumbai and Chandigarh. Once again Aanand didn’t like what had been shot and decided to put the love story, set in Punjab, on hold, indefinitely.

Meanwhile a couple of meetings between Aanand and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap over the last two months have culminated in a two-film deal. Interestingly, in line with Aanand’s brand of cinema, Anurag who is known for championing gritty, intense dramas or off-beat thrillers will direct two romance-dramas for his production house with Aanand mentoring. Buzz is, Anurag will also be having a look at the script of Manmarziyan.

Aanand L Rai’s spokesperson confirmed the news.