Akshay Kumar is scheduled to start shooting for his next, an action-comedy, in February next year
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 24, 2019)

After collaborating on Waqt Hamara Hai, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Jaan-E-Mann, Heyy Babyy, Kambakkht Ishq, Housefull, Housefull 2, Housefull 3 and the upcoming reincarnation comedy, Housefull 4, Akshay Kumar and producer Sajid Nadiadwala are teaming up for the 10th time on the Farhad Samji directorial, Bachchan Pandey.

The Christmas 2020 release had been in the pipeline for a while now, with Sajid, Farhad and their writers getting the titular character right to suit Akshay’s personality and set it in an action-comedy screenplay. “It’s a massy character and has several one-liners tailor-made for Akshay. A lot of time was also spent on designing his look,” reveals a source close to the development.

Now, Mirror has learnt that the script is locked, and the team is moving to the second phase of pre-production with plans to take the film on the floors in February 2020. “Before starting work on Bachchan Pandey, Akshay will wrap up the period film Prithviraj and minor chunks of his cop-drama, Sooryavanshi. Like most of his films, this one too will be shot in a start-to finish schedule,” the source informs, adding that the script will be improvised till the time of going on the floors.

The action-comedy features several central characters which warrants an ensemble cast and the makers are putting together a line-up. Shooting will take place at multiple locations across the country; recce begins in November. “The production team will go location-hunting after the release of Housefull 4, which is also directed by Farhad. It will be shot at real life locations in North and South India apart from sets in Mumbai,” the source revealed.

Meanwhile, Sajid, Akshay and Farhad are gearing up for the Diwali release Housefull 4, which also features Riteish Deshmukh, Kriti Sanon, Bobby Deol, Kriti Kharbanda and Pooja Hegde in pivotal roles. It sees Akshay in a double role—as a London-based barber in present-day portions and a king in the past sequences, which has been named the Bahubali era.