The actor will play the lead and also produce the action thriller with Dheeraj Wadhawan and Ajay Kapoor
BOMBAY TIMES (July 13, 2019)

John Abraham has always maintained that action is his favourite genre. So, it’s not surprising that the actor is now gearing up to produce and play the lead in an all-out action thriller, Attack. The movie is based on a race-against-time rescue operation undertaken by an attack team, led by a lone ranger (John). The story revolves around a fictional account of a hostage crisis that brought the country to its knees, and has been inspired by true events. The film will go on floors this December.

Written and directed by debutant Lakshya Raj Anand, Attack will be produced by Dheeraj Wadhawan and Ajay Kapoor’s Kyta Productions and John’s JA Entertainment. The two production houses had earlier collaborated on Parmanu — The Story of Pokhran and Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW).

Over the years, with interesting subjects like Parmanu — The Story Of Pokhran, RAW, Madras Cafe, Satyamev Jayate and the Force franchise, John has emerged as an actor who can cater to both — the multiplex audience and the masses. Apart from acting, John’s focus has also been to create and deliver content-led and entertaining films under his banner with movies like Vicky Donor, slick action films like Force 2 and Rocky Handsome, and the ones mentioned earlier, all of which are stories that resonate with the Indian audience. Dheeraj Wadhawan and Ajay Kapoor have also backed many projects that have garnered both critical acclaim and box-office success. Their movies like Bazaar and Pataakha had garnered appreciation, too.

Speaking about Attack, John Abraham says, “We believe in content first. It is our endeavour to push the envelope and produce films that entertain and have something significant to show to the increasingly discerning audience. This film is a taut, interesting thriller with a strong story line and it’s a genre that I love. I am happy that Dheeraj and Ajay are on board, too, for this interesting project.”

Ajay Kapoor adds, “Our banner endeavours to drive good cinema by collaborating with like-minded partners. Attack is an intelligent, engaging story, which needs to be told to the younger generation. Working with John and his banner has been a pleasure, as we think alike about films. We look forward to this exciting collaboration.”


with Lakshya Raj Anand and Ajay Kapoor

BOMBAY TIMES (September 15, 2018)

After backing path-breaking and entertaining movies like Drishyam, Madras Café, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Padmaavat — and the soon-to-be-released Manto and AndhaDhun — Viacom18 Motion Pictures has now teamed up with Ajay Kapoor, producer and Managing Director of KYTA Productions.

The two have joined hands for an espionage thriller, Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW). The John Abraham-starrer is scheduled to release on March 15, 2019.

Based on true incidents, RAW is directed by Robbie Grewal. The film also stars John Abraham, Jackie Shroff, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Mouni Roy and Sikander Kher in pivotal roles. Along with Ajay Kapoor, it is also produced by Dheeraj Wadhawan, Vanessa Walia and Gary Grewal.

John Abraham says, “I’m thrilled that the studio has come on board for RAW. Having worked with them in the past, I know that we have the right partners for the film. RAW is a challenging project; for the first time, I will be sporting many looks in one film. With each look, I have to adopt a different persona, be it in terms of stance, body language or speech. I am having a great time pushing myself, and a lot of the credit goes to my director, Robbie. The audience has been kind to me this year, and I’m hoping it will continue with RAW.”

Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Studios, adds, “RAW is a gripping espionage drama. Robbie is an astute director with a unique perspective and we are sure that this film will keep you on the edge of your seat. Collaborating with Ajay is a pleasure and with John in the lead, you can be assured of a cinematic treat.”

On his part, Ajay Kapoor, shares, “I am happy to join hands with this studio. After associating for Baazaar, we just knew that we had to extend our partnership for RAW, as they match our enthusiasm for putting this project together.”

MUMBAI MIRROR (September 13, 2018)

Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the studio known for backing content-driven films like Toilet - Ek Prem Katha, Padmaavat, Manto and AndhaDhun, has come on-board for Saif Ali Khan’s Baazaar, which releases on October 26. The film is directed by Gauravv K Chawla, presented by Viacom18 Motion Pictures & KYTA Productions and produced by Emmay Entertainment.

Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Studios, says, “I am excited as this is India’s first film based on the roller-coaster drama of life and stock markets. At Viacom18 Motion Pictures, our endeavour is to look for new vistas, this film serves that objective very well. Happy to join hands with Ajay Kapoor and Nikkhil Advani on this new journey.”

Ajay Kapoor, Managing Director, KYTA Productions, says, “I am thrilled to be announcing the release of our film, Baazaar, and I am happy to be associated with Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Emmay Entertainment for a film that I truly believe in.”

Nikkhil Advani, Emmay Entertainment, says “Ending all speculation, we are delighted that such experienced and solid partners have come on board which is a testament of the quality of the film itself. Emmay Entertainment prides itself in telling novel and cutting-edge stories and we look forward to the audiences watching Baazaar.”

Baazaar features the enigmatic Saif Ali Khan, debutant Rohan Mehra, Chitrangda Singh and Radhika Apte. Based in the tireless financial and business capital of the country, the film is set against the backdrop of dreams, money, power and business.


Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures; Ajay Kapoor, MD, KYTA Productions; Nikkhil Advani, Emmay Entertainment

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 4, 2018)

After Remo D’Souza’s action thriller Race 3 in which she was paired opposite Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez has given her nod to the Hindi remake of the 2016 Kannada hit Kirik Party. The as-yet-untitled film features Kartik Aaryan as the male lead and is being produced by Ajay Kapoor, Dheeraj Wadhawan and Vrithika Laykar. A romance set in the college campus, will roll in October.

“Jacqueline really liked the script and gave her nod to the film. She even did a look test recently. They will begin workshops and readings soon,” informs a source close to the development.

Ajay (left) confirmed the news, saying, “We are excited to have Jacqueline on board as she is someone the youth relates to and has an amazing screen presence. This is the first time Jacqueline and Kartik have been cast together and we are confident that the audience will enjoy watching this fresh pair.”

The original film featuring Rakshit Shetty and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead, was one of the highest grossing Kannada films of all time, enjoying a 150-day run in many theatres.

It revolved around a gang of mischievous kid, led by Karna, a first-year engineering student, who falls in love with Saanvi, a final-year student. The love story does not end there. Post interval, a first-year student, Arya, played by Samyuktha Hegde, is drawn to Karna who is now in his final year.

The film was remade in Telugu as Kirrak Party, featuring Nikhil Siddharth, Simran Pareenja and Samyuktha. The Hindi version will mark the Bollywood debut of director Abhishek Jain whose Wrong Side Raju bagged the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Gujarati at the 64th National Film Awards. Abhishek had earlier even assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Guzaarish and Subhash Ghai on Yuvvraaj.

Interestingly, Kartik and Jacqueline were both in Budapest earlier this month to shoot for a commercial. Excited about the film the 33-year-old actress told Mirror, “It’s a great script with blockbuster music. I look forward to working with Kartik and Abhishek for the first time. This role is really special.”

Kartik is presently shooting for Dinesh Vijan’s Luka Chuppi with Kriti Sanon.

The TV actress, who was to make Bollywood debut in Ronnie Screwvala’s action drama, will now be introduced by filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj
MUMBAI MIRROR (August 22, 2018)

After playing the lead in Ekta Kapoor’s telly soap, Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, Radhika Madan graduated to the big screen with Ronnie Screwvala’s action-drama Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota.

The Vasan Bala directorial which also marks the debut of Maine Pyar Kiya girl Bhagyashree’s son Abhimanyu Dassani, is in post-production. Meanwhile Vishal Bhardwaj has wrapped up his Pataakha which flagged off in April, in less than five months and will be ‘introducing’ Radhika as one of the two quarrelling sisters, the other being Sanya Malhotra. The film opens on September 28.

“We are very happy that Radhika is being launched by a legend like Vishal Bhardwaj and my company. Both Sanya and Radhika have performed extremely well,” says Pataakha producer Ajay Kapoor.

The actress underwent months of martial arts training for Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota which she’d signed five months after her TV show ended. She’d told Mirror (Nov 14, 2017), “I had no interest in action earlier, but the script is so good that I had to put in my 200 per cent.” For Vishal’s film, she learnt how to milk buffaloes, thatch roofs and plaster walls with dung, walk while balancing a matka of water on her head and waist and also the Rajasthani dialect.

BOMBAY TIMES (July 18, 2018)

Kannada blockbuster Kirik Party’s (2016) Hindi remake will see producer Ajay Kapoor of Kyta Productions joining hands with Kartik Aaryan, who made a mark with his last hit, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018). The Hindi remake is a coming of age, romantic film, which showcases how friendship and love can turn a boy into a compassionate man. The film also promises chartbuster music. Kirik Party was one of the highest grossing Kannada films, which ran in cinemas for an impressive 150 days. For the Hindi version, the producers have roped in National Award-winning director Abhishek Jain, who won the award for the Best Feature Film in Gujarati for Wrong Side Raju (2016). He has also directed the Gujarati hit, Bey Yaar (2014).

Confirming the news, producer Ajay Kapoor says, “We are excited to have Kartik Aaryan on board, as he has a connect with today’s youth. We felt only he could bring this well-etched character alive on the big screen. Kyta Productions is also happy to introduce a talented filmmaker like Abhishek Jain for this project. We will start filming in October and release next year.” Post the success of Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran (2018), the production house has announced RAW (Romeo Akbar Walter), which stars John Abraham, and Vishal Bhardwaj’s directorial Pataakha, along with several other exciting projects that are in the pipeline.

The Hindi remake of Kirik Party will be produced by Dheeraj Wadhawan, Ajay Kapoor of Kyta Productions and Vrithika Laykar.

Vishal Bhardwaj on his ‘phenomenal girls’, Sanya Malhotra and Radhika Madan, around whom his next comedy-drama film which will open on September 28 revolves, and the ‘amazing’ Sunil Grover
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 23, 2018)

Vishal Bhardwaj’s next, Pataakha, with Sanya Malhotra, Radhika Madan and Sunil Grover in the lead, opens on September 28. Based on Charan Singh Pathik’s short story, Do Behnein, it revolves around two sisters, Badki and Chhutki who grow up in a small village in Rajasthan and are constantly at war but when marriage separates them, they realise they can’t seem to live with or without each other.

The comedy-drama was earlier titled Chhuriyaan but Vishal admits that people would confuse it with Chhodiyaan or Chhoriyaan. “Pataakha goes with the spirit of the film which is like a firecracker. And I liked the sound too. The first half is complete, we have just 12 days of shoot left and leave for Mount Abu on June 29 for the final schedule,” informs Vishal, adding that they fixed on September 28 as the week has been lucky for him. “Both Haider and Talvar opened on October 2.”

Producer Ajay Kapoor says that he has wanted to be associated with Vishal Bhardwaj for a long time. “Vishal ji is a big brand, I love his cinema. When I heard the script, I fell in love with it. This is a different genre,” he says.

Meanwhile, the National award-winning filmmaker is all praise for his cast and in turn promises that they will spring a surprise. “We already knew that Sanya is a very good actor but Radhika was a revelation. She’s fantastic! And the rapport between the girls is phenomenal,” he says, recalling a fight sequence which they did like a real fight and hit each other. “But after the shot they would ask each other, ‘Lagi toh nahi.’ For me as a director it was liberating to work with new actors and a different energy.”

He says they had started with the pre-marriage portions, then, shifted to four years later where the girls have a child each. “They had to gain eight to 10 kgs which they did within a month. In one shot you see them weighing 50 kgs, in the very next shot as we fade out they are ten kgs heavier. It’s a great cinematic high!” says Vishal.

Ask him on Sunil who is known mainly for his comic gags and Vishal asserts that they will forget he was Gutthi and Dr Mashoor Gulati. “He’s the Narad muni of the film who instigates the fights between the sister and dabbles with a variety of professions. “Sometimes he’s selling cucumbers outside a school, another time he’s a sari seller. That’s enough for now, let’s leave the rest for the screen,” he adds.

John Abraham celebrates a hard-won battle; insists he’ll continue to back subjects he believes in but will be wary in picking who he works with
Roshmila bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 18, 2018)

Parmanu was a difficult journey but your confidence and conviction in the film seems to have eventually paid off…
Yes, today I feel vindicated, validated and relieved. I was clear about what I was making and that I wanted the film to release, come hail or storm because Parmanu was a special baby. The odds were stacked against us, we had just 10 days to promote the film which released during the IPL semis and finals, just two weeks after Raazi and a week before Veere Di Wedding. Had it had a smoother release, we might have done better business going by trade estimates, but I’m grateful to the media and the audience for their support. It’s so humbling when people say it’s my best film as a producer and my best performance as an actor that at times I don’t know how to react.

When you look back, what was the darkest phase in this journey?
When I realised this was a battle I had to justifiably fight alone. I’m a realist, I don’t expect anything from anyone, somebody had to raise their voice and I did. I’m thankful to the High Court and the judge for ruling in my favour, ensuring Parmanu saw the light of the day.

What’s happening with your erstwhile partner Prernaa Arora?
I have no idea and I don’t think the subject merits a discussion.

This was the first time you collaborated with someone who was not from the industry. Has the experience made you wary as far as choosing production partners is concerned?
Of course it has. But I am collaborating on RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter as an actor with Ajay Kapoor who was my production partner on Parmanu too and stuck by me to the end, which I really appreciate. We, as an industry, run to where the money is. But after my experience I will tell my colleagues to make sure they know exactly where the money comes from and more importantly, where it doesn’t come from. I’m a beggar for appreciation and money is just a by-product of the journey.

As a producer you’ve always gambled with films like Vicky Donor, Madras Café and now Parmanu, none of them safe commercial entertainers...
As a producer, I’ve always aimed to marry content with commerce and ensure that everyone in the distribution chain makes money. But at the same time, I want to explore subjects difficult to make because I’m not afraid of failure, so I can take risks. I’ll take full responsibility for the failure of any film made under my banner and if I’m successful, I’d like people to know that I went with my gut instinct. I’m prepared for the bouquets with the brickbats and here, I got the bouquets.

You did but after a hard-won battle against Prernaa. Has the experience put you off production?
Not at all, I also discovered that there are good people who back honesty and credibility. This has empowered me to back the kind of subjects I want to make even though I know I will face the regular creative questions with them.

For two years, you hardly accepted any acting assignments and now you are on an over-drive. You’ve wrapped up Satyamev Jayate, signed another Nikkhil Advani production, Batla House, kicked off RAW and then there’s a film with Rensil D’Silva based on the book, Moryaa Re: The Ganpati Murders...
First, let me clarify that I’m doing a film with Rensil which should happen by the middle of next year and I’m making a web series based on this book but that’s not with Rensil. Rensil’s film is a beautiful human story, around two years of research has already gone into it and anything that comes out of that will be special. RAW and Batla House are probably the most challenging films I’m doing, the subjects were too good to be missed.

What’s coming from your production house?
I’m co-producing Batla House with Nikkhil. After a long time I’ve found a friend, confidante, producer, director and now a partner in Nikkhil. I wanted to extend my association with him in every count because we’re very happy to be with each other. We are exploring other ideas too but for the moment there’s just Batla House and two web series.

From the films you are doing, one gets the impression that you have gone back to action?
Most of the films I’m doing right now are high-voltage dramas with a bit of action. Whether I do action or not, the image of an action hero stays and I’m happy with that. There’s a huge vacuum in the kind of action I do and I want to fill it with an intelligent emotional action film. We’re working on scripts. There’s a fantastic action series but that’s just an idea now.

What about taking the Force franchise forward?
Vipul (Shah) and I have been communicating regularly. Right now he’s busy with his film and we’ll know better once he is back. I want to take Force forward but it will depend on how we structure our deal from here on.

The film is scheduled to take the film on the floors on June 1
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 9, 2018)

After wrapping up Abhishek Sharma’s Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran with Diana Penty, which is based on the nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by the Indian Army at Pokhran in 1998, John Abraham recently started shooting for Milap Zaveri’s dark, action-packed thriller in Mumbai that revolves around a cop and a murderer and also features Manoj Bajpayee and Aisha Sharma. Mirror has now learnt that the 45-year-old actor has given his nod to Robbie Grewal’s Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) and is scheduled to start shooting for the film from June 1.

“We are excited to have John on board this film with us. The process began when we were brainstorming on whom to cast for the protagonist’s part and thought that John would fit the bill perfectly. He really liked the script and gave his nod on the same day as the narration. We have revisited the script of this espionage-drama which is set in the 1970s and we can’t wait to take it on the floors,” confirms Ajay Kapoor who is producing the spy-thriller with Dheeraj Wadhwan, Vanessa Walia and Gary Grewal.

The film will be shot in a start-to-finish 60-day schedule in Nepal, Gujarat, Srinagar and Delhi. Meanwhile, the makers have been doing an extensive recce for the past few months.

“Robbie has worked extensively as an ad filmmaker and has made three films earlier (Samay: When Time Strikes, MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar and Aloo Chaat). He has also written the script of our John-starrer and is working closely with the actor on the project. The duo gets along really well and keep bouncing ideas off each other. Robbie will start readings and workshops with John once he completes the shooting for Milap’s film,” informs Ajay, while refusing to divulge further details of the prep.

Meanwhile, Robbie adds that the film’s team has roped in National Award-winning makeup artist Vikram Gaikwad while Amera Pulwani has been entrusted with costume-designing. “John will sport a completely different look and will have multiple avatars in the film,” the director informs.

Last year, it was announced that Sushant Singh Rajput had been roped in to play the leading man in the film and was reportedly gearing up to start prep. Prod the filmmaker on what went wrong and Ajay says, “Nothing went wrong except that the dates Sushant had given us were clashing with another film so we decided to part ways amicably. Obviously one feels bad as we had finished most of the prep and were ready to roll. But everything is sorted now, Sushant is like a brother.”

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 8, 2018)

Writer-duo Siddharth-Garima, who penned the Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone-starrer Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela (2013) and last year’s Akshay Kumar-Bhumi Pednekar film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, now have a social-drama up their sleeve. Titled Saale Aashiq, the film revolves around a Khap Panchayat and a couple on the run.

The film is set to go on the floors by the year-end and the writer duo is currently on a recce in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur for research, meeting real-life couples who are hiding from panchayats, as part of the prep for their film. The script for the Bunty Walia and Ajay Kapoor production is currently being worked on. A source reveals, “Saale Aashiq is about standing up to the hate politics, age-old traditions and an eventual death threat as a couple faces opposition from their respective families. The director of the film will be announced soon.”

Meanwhile, Siddharth and Garima are also prepping to make their directorial debut with Jasmine, which they have also written, that is expected to go on the floors around March-April. The film is the story of a surrogate mother who gets attached to a child and doesn’t want to let go.

Upala KBR (DNA; August 29, 2017)

A month after reports of Sushant Singh Rajput’s Robby Grewal-directed film Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) being deferred due to the actor’s choc-a-block schedule hit headlines, mid-day has learnt that Rajput has decided to walk out of the thriller. “Unfortunately, I will not be part of Romeo Akbar Walter due to changes in my prior commitments. I wanted to be part of the project because I love the story, and believe it must be told, but, that will not happen,” the actor says, further extending his wishes to producers Ajay Kapoor and Bunty Walia.

Rajput has multiple films on his plate, including Kedarnath, set to roll on September 3, followed by Chandamama Door Ke, which goes on floors the following month, and Abhishek Chaubey’s film, based on dacoits of Chambal valley, scheduled for the year-end. The successive projects have left the actor with little time to accommodate Kapoor’s film.

A trade source says, “The script [of RAW] is powerful, and could have been be a turning point in Sushant’s career. He requested Ajay to give him time to sort out the schedule conflict. Sushant wanted to shoot for his films over 15-day schedules, but, Ajay felt it would affect the continuity. He wanted two 30-day schedules to complete Romeo, but that wasn’t possible for the actor.”

The decision to part ways was one that the makers and Rajput had agreed on amicably, says Kapoor. A source says Rajput will return the signing amount of R ? crore, revealing that he was to be paid Rs 4 crore for the film.

BOMBAY TIMES (October 28, 2015)

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; August 10, 2015)

Barely two months since Bhushan Kumar's company Super Cassettes Industries Pvt Ltd (SCIPL, also known as T-Series) and Blue Whale Motion Pictures (BWMP, comprising Mahesh Bhupathi and Virendra Arora, and represented in their business dealings through Prerna Arora and Arjun N Kapoor) entered into an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to jointly produce Namastey England starring Akshay Kumar to be directed by Vipul Shah, things have soured between the two production houses. In a complaint to the police, the former accuses the latter of having set up dummy companies entities and entered into agreements and negotiations in respect of the film's rights. The complaint also states that Bhupathi's company has entered into agreements worth Rs 75 crore in respect of the worldwide rights of the movie.

SCIPL's contention - that when a production house has got into an agreement with another to make a film, it's unfair and unethical of the second company to sell the rights to third parties - is very much fair and valid. Moreover, they had also paid BWMP a certain amount on signing the MoU and had further invested in skill, labour and time towards the making of the film and the music.

However, following reports of BWMP making the said film with another company instead, SCIPL decided to take due legal action. The latter's complaint also states, “BWMP has knowingly and with a view to earning wrongful gains for itself and at the same time for causing wrongful loss to the SCIPL, entered into arrangements with third parties relating to producing the same film containing the same story, same star cast, same director and related staff without the consent or the knowledge of the SCIPL. Such agreements with third parties could not have been entered into by BWMP otherwise than by making illegal disclosures of the confidential information and trade secrets provided by or obtained from SCIPL.“

SCIPL's complaint maintains that “BWMP is continuing with its devious plans of producing the said film through its dummy companies related concerns knowingly and dishonestly violating the valuable property rights of SCIPL.“

Ajay Kapoor of SCIPL says, “We have a valid, subsisting and irrevocably binding MoU dated June 10, 2015, wherein T-Series is co-producing the film Namastey England and is one of the owners in the IP of the film. Further, all rights in the music and audio visual of the said film have also been assigned in our favour. Any attempt by any party to circumvent and or negate the said MoU or wriggle out of the contractual obligation shall tantamount to copyright infringement, fraud, unfair business practice, dishonestly misappropriating property, criminal breach of trust, cheating, breach of confidentiality and wrongful disclosure of confidential information. We shall take all necessary steps to safeguard our rights and shall not hesitate in taking steps to file criminal complaints against all those involved in violating the terms of the agreements.“

We sent a text message to Mahesh Bhupathi, but he didn't respond till the time of going to press.