Shabinaa Khan, one of the producers of Akshay Kumar’s horror-comedy, addresses the controversy surrounding creative differences between the film’s director and the makers
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 6, 2019)

Akshay Kumar started shooting for his upcoming horror-comedy, Laxmmi Bomb, at a city studio last month with his leading lady, Kiara Advani. Soon after wrapping up the first schedule, Raghava Lawrence who had directed the Tamil franchise Kanchana of which the Hindi film is a remake, announced on Twitter that he would no longer direct the remake citing creative differences with the makers. “In this world, more than money and fame, self-respect is the most important attribute to a person’s character,” he had said in a note.

While speculations were rife that the producers, Shabinaa Khan and Tusshar Kapoor, would rope in a new director, the duo flew to Chennai instead to meet Raghava and resolve the issue. Last week, the director returned to Twitter to announce that he is back onboard the project. When Mirror contacted Shabinaa, she was evasive about the details of the meeting, saying, “There were no conversations. There were minor creative differences which are all sorted out now. There’s nothing beyond that, and what you have read so far is all that has happened.” When asked if the controversy surrounding Raghava’s initial exit will impact the environment on the set, she said, “Not at all. Raghava is the best director for this film as he is the creator of the Kanchana franchise down South. He is a talented director and was always on board.”

The designer-turned-filmmaker, who has previously collaborated with Akshay on Rowdy Rathore and Gabbar Is Back, informed that the Khiladi Kumar was always her first choice for the film. “We had been in talks for a Kanchana remake for a while. It took some time because we were tweaking the script for our audience. After writing it again and again, it eventually fell into the space we were looking at,” she revealed. The film, which is the official adaptation of Muni 2: Kanchana, the second film in the original series, will see Akshay’s character possessed by a transgender ghost which leads to comic situations. Shabinaa clarified that the 51-year-old actor doesn’t play the role of a transgender in the story. “There’s a different dynamic for which you need to see the film,” she added.

Next up, Laxmmi Bomb returns to regular programming with the team gearing up to kick off the second schedule. “We shot a song in a three-day shoot in Mumbai which started on April 27, but the upcoming schedule will be the biggest of the lot and it will start in mid-July,” Shabinaa signed off.
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Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 6, 2019)

In 2012, Akshay Kumar and Prabhudheva teamed up for the first time for the action-comedy Rowdy Rathore. Now, Mirror has learnt that almost seven years later, a sequel is in the works. “We are in the process of writing Rowdy Rathore 2 right now and inshallah, it will feature Akshay in the lead,” said Shabinaa Khan, who had co-produced the first film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Noting that her leading man’s celluloid stories may have changed but the template remains the same, the filmmaker added, “Right from Toilet - Ek Prem Katha to Pad Man, his films have ample of humour. He can manage anything and everything and is one of the only all-rounders we have in the industry today.”

While Shabinaa refused to divulge further details pertaining to the project, a source close to the development informed that it is expected to go on the floors sometime next year.

In the first installment, Akshay was seen in a double role - as Inspector Vikram Singh Rathore and a local thug, Shiva. The film was the official remake of S S Rajamouli’s 2006 Telugu actioner, Vikramarkudu, and featured Sonakshi Sinha as the female lead.