Even as the industry has ground to a halt, sources say Fukrey 3 in progress, Farhan-Ritesh ask Richa & Co to block October dates
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 25, 2020)

A sleeper hit on its release, Fukrey (2013) put the spotlight on Richa Chadha aka Bholi Punjaban and Varun Sharma. After the success of the two instalments of the comedy franchise, rumours are rife that the cast — which also includes Pulkit Samrat, Ali Fazal and Manjot Singh — is reuniting for the third edition.

Even as Bollywood has come to a standstill, producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani have been apparently supervising the progress of Fukrey 3 and recently asked the actors for a chunk of dates in October for the shoot. According to an insider, the creative team is currently giving finishing touches to the script.

"The team, led by director Mrigdeep Singh Lamba, had previously written multiple drafts, but they did not appeal to Farhan and Ritesh. When this idea was presented, they lapped it up, and the writers' team soon sat down to develop it further. The production house has reached out to the principal actors, asking them to block their dates in October. Since the film requires combination dates of five actors, the studio felt it was best to sound them off in advance. The pre-production will kick off as soon as the current situation stabilises."

Lamba remained unavailable for comment.