Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; August 29, 2018)

Amar Kaushik, who makes his directorial debut with this Friday’s release, Stree, was earlier meant to helm Chor Nikal Ke Bhaaga with John Abraham and Rajkummar Rao. However, the film didn’t take off on schedule and instead, Amar got busy with producer Dinesh Vijan’s horror-comedy, which carries promising pre-release vibes.

COMFORT FACTOR WITH RAJKUMMAR
Despite rumours of Chor Nikal Ke Bhaaga being shelved, Amar reveals that it’s being revived. “It won’t be my immediate next. Raj is the only person who has been retained because he liked the story and is keen on doing it. Also, after working with him on Stree, I have become quite comfortable with him,” he says.

TAMANNAAH WASN’T OFFERED THE FILM; JOHN WANTED THE OTHER ROLE
Speculations were rife that Tamannaah Bhatia and John Abraham were also part of the thriller. However, Amar says, “Tamannaah was never offered the film. We had John on board, but he isn’t doing the movie anymore. Initially, I had approached John for the main role but when he read the script, he wanted to do the other role (of a cop) and also wanted to produce it. That’s when Raj was roped in to play the lead.”

TALKS ARE ON WITH PRODUCERS
The movie will go on floors once the Bareilly Ki Barfi actor and Amar finalise their respective schedules. “I have spoken to a few other producers. We are in talks with Raj Kumar Gupta as well. So, let’s see how things pan out,” he says.