Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 29, 2016)

It’s not just Sunny Deol’s dhai kilo ka haath which will be in action in Neeraj Pathak’s upcoming comedy, Bhaiyyaji Superhit, in which he plays a UP don, but his happy feet have been working overtime too. Mirror has learnt that the 59-year-old actor has been shooting five songs, back-to-back, with choreographer-friend Ahmed Khan at a suburban Mumbai studio.

“I made him dance two years ago on 'Gud Naal Ishaq Meetha' in Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru’s I Love NY. But this time Sunny will be seen in a completely different avatar. He’s wearing glares and a gamcha and sporting a mouchi. All the songs have been lavishly mounted with Sunny grooving with almost 200 backdrop dancers,” informs Ahmed who has been filming with the actor over the last week at several locations, including Filmistan Studio, Film City and the Imperial Grand Palace Hotel in Goregaon. “We will be filming for another five days and may also incorporate Sunny’s iconic 'Yaara O Yaara' step in one of the songs.”

He is quick to add that all the songs being shot in this dance marathon are distinctly different from each other, starting with the title track, “Bhaiyyaji superhitt hai”, there is a song during the Shivaratri festival, a romantic number with his leading lady Preity Zinta and him, a shaadi song and a final one which will be a real surprise. Prod Ahmed on Sunny’s reaction given that he’s never enjoyed reel life naachgaana, and Ahmed quips, “He’s loving it!”

The choreographer-turned-director who recently helmed a music video featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife, Amruta, has worked with Sunny in several films in the past, including Zor: Never Underestimate the Force, Fool N Final, Dillagi, Yamla Pagla Deewana and recently Ghayal Once Again. He admits that Sunny’s dancing after two years and to egg him on, the unit started clapping when he took the floor while filming for one of the songs. “He was so embarrassed he forgot the steps,” laughs Ahmed, who might even be shooting through the weekend to the New Year.

Ameesha Patel plays an actress and Preity, a small-town girl and Sunny’s wife, tries to emulate her. Sunny’s don speaks in Bhojpuri. “He has the unit in splits when he unintentionally slips into Punjabi in between his dialogues,” director Neeraj had told Mirror earlier (April 29).