Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 10, 2017)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who started shooting for her musical-dramedy, Fanney Khan, at Flora Fountain on Sunday with Anil Kapoor shooting a scene featuring him driving her around in a cab, while the diva, stylish in a military-style jacket, boots and maroon streaks of hair, called the shots from the back seat. Anil, who has five more days of shoot left with his Taal co-star, has wrapped up 80 per cent of his portions with child star, Pihu Sand, who plays his daughter, and Divya Dutta, his wife.

The unit is now waiting for Rajkummar Rao to get back on his feet, literally, for the combination sequences between Ash and Raj. The film was supposed to wrap up by November 15 but Raj fracturing his left ankle during the shoot of a recent reality TV show, threw the schedule for another six.

When Mirror spoke to producer Prernaa Arora, she revealed that she was already discussing a second collaboration with Ash. “Working with Aishwarya ma’am is very fulfilling and I am definitely planning another film with her,” she informed.

The actress filmed for 12 hours on the first day and Prerna admits she was “very very silent” during the shoot. “When you’re working with any top actor they stick to working only on their dates. But Aishwarya ma’am has given this film a lot of time and inputs,” Prernaa added.

Mirror had earlier reported (October 7) that Ash was not too satisfied with the costumes designed by Manish Malhotra. That’s when Prerna took a call to push the schedule ahead by a month. Now, by mid-December, Ash will shoot multiple song sequences. “Bhushan ji (T-Series honcho, music producer Bhushan Kumar) has given us the best songs from his collection,” Prernaa beamed. “But the film is not just about cool music. Aishwarya ma’am, who is the epitome of beauty and a role model, is going to make youngsters aware about body shaming. Through her character, she will deliver the powerful social message that body shaming is unacceptable,” Prernaa said.