Last month, mid-day had reported that Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon — after collaborating on KGF: Chapter 2 — were set to team up for a comedy (Baba-Raveena to bring on the laughs, Jan 19). There has been an interesting addition to the cast since. Senior actor Aruna Irani, who had last worked with Dutt on Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), has been roped in for the family comedy, titled Ghudchadhi. Binoy Gandhi’s directorial venture will mark a happy reunion of sorts for the three actors who had worked together on Jeena Marna Tere Sang, three decades ago.

Irani is glad to retrace her steps to a Bollywood movie set after 12 years. “We’ll start shooting in Jaipur from February 17. I played Sanju’s mother Kathy D’Souza in his debut movie, Rocky [1981], and then Sakina who looks after his baby in Jai Vikraanta [1995]. It feels great to get together with Sanju again. When Binoy approached me with the bound script, I loved the story,” says the senior actor.

In the comedy, she plays mother to Dutt’s character, while Parth Samthaan essays the role of her grandson. “My role is colourful, and sees me doing everything from comedy to drama. She is a strong woman who gets angry when she doesn’t get what she wants. She is deeply attached to her son who is devoted to her.”

While she stayed away from movies since 2010, Irani was a regular in television shows, playing key roles in Dekha Ek Khwab and Parichay — Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka, among others. However, the actor stopped taking up new projects after the Coronavirus pandemic hit. “I stopped working after Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai got over in mid-2019. It feels good to be back at work after over two years.”