Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 30, 2017)

This year’s Diwali season seems to have cemented a new friendship in Bollywood. Deepika Padukone, Sidharth Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapur and producer Kapil aka Juno Chopra have been seen hanging out quite frequently of late. The foursome had met at a film screening two weeks ago, post which they took the after-party (of four) to a restaurant. Over the course of the night, it surreptitiously turned into a food walk as the group visisted another eatery after that.

Last Saturday, the new friends were spotted hanging out at an Asian gastropub in Lower Parel, with Sidharth and Aditya almost colour-coordinated in white and black monochrome, while Deepika made heads turn in black top and lame pants. “The dinner was planned well in advance and they had a great time talking about their lives and cinema in general. Incidentally, Sidharth’s Ittefaq co-star Sonakshi Sinha also bumped into the quartet at the SoBo restaurant and chatted with them briefly,” informs a source.

While Deepika and Aditya have known each other since they costarred in Ayan Mukerji’s romanticcomedy- drama, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, also featuring Ranbir Kapoor, in 2013, Sidharth’s entry into the fold seems like a new development. The actor was also clicked with Deepika, Manish Malhotra and Alia Bhatt at Anil Kapoor’s Diwali bash. Before that, he had met up with Deepika at the ace designer’s residence with Karan Johar late last month. Is there a new film on the cards with the trio and Kapil as a producer? Only time will tell.