The duo teams up for the first time in a love story being produced by Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani, John Abraham; film rolls this month
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 6, 2019)

After collaborating on Batla House, Satyameva Jayate and it’s already announced sequel which goes on the floors in February, Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani and John Abraham are gearing up for yet another collaboration. Mirror has learnt that the trio will produce a yet-untitled family dramedy headlined by Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh.

Kaashvie Nair, who has earlier assisted Nikkhil on his sports-drama Patiala House and the 2013 action-thriller D-Day and co-directed the TV series POW Bandi Yuddh Ke, will be making her feature film debut as a director with this one. She is the daughter of Shashilal K Nair, who has directed films like the 1992 crime-drama Angaar which bagged him the National Film Award for Best Special Effects, and the 2001 action-crime film One 2 Ka 4, featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. Kaashvie and her team have completed the recee and the film is in the final stages of prep.

“It is a coming-of-age, cross-border love story, beautifully written by Anuja Chauhan, Amitosh Nagpal and Kaashvie. It will be shot extensively in Punjab and Los Angeles and will feature Arjun and Rakul in never-seen-before avatars. We will be locking the title and the release date soon,” informs Nikkhil, who is gearing up for the release of his next production, the Milap Zaveri-directed Marjaavaan, which also features Rakul, alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Tara Sutaria.

Bhushan adds that the film is scheduled to go on the floors this month. “It sums up our everyday experiences and relationships with our families. The audiences will definitely enjoy it,” the filmmaker promises.

Arjun informs that when the debutante filmmaker and the writers gave him a narration, he knew instantly that it was a special script. “I have grown up in a joint family so I understood that it’s the biggest pillar of love, strength and support. That’s the essence of our film, which has its heart in the right place. I’m having a blast even during the prep,” the 34-year-old actor asserts, adding that he is excited to be working with Rakul for the first time after collaborating with her during workshops. “She is a beautiful, instinctive and generous co-star,” he signs off.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; September 17, 2019)

After the socially-relevant movie, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, in which she became the first mainstream actress to play a lesbian, Sonam Kapoor aka Sonam K Ahuja is ready to charm the audiences with her next, The Zoya Factor. Based on Anuja Chauhan’s book by the same name, it’s about a girl who is considered lucky for the Indian cricket team. The captain, however, rubbishes the theory. Sparks fly between the two, ending in a romance. “It’s a lighthearted film. There’s no special message and it’s not trying to say anything. After an intense film like Ek Ladki... I wanted to do a fun film,” Sonam smiles. While she reveals that she’s been lucky for her father Anil Kapoor, as after her birth, he got a spate of hits, she feels that hard-work goes hand-in-hand with luck and destiny. Excerpts from a freewheeling chat...

Had you read the book before doing the film? Whose idea was it to adapt it for screen?
I’ve read a lot of Anuja’s books. I already own the rights to her Battle For Bittora, and we’re trying to produce it. The script is ready and we may make it next year. I had read The Zoya Factor, which is a great book. I was offered the film when it was with other production houses like Saregama and Red Chillies. There was always talk about me doing the film, but it was never made. Then, Aarrti Shetty and Pooja Shetty acquired the book’s rights, and called me up. They felt only I, and nobody else, could play the role. I thought the same, and was glad they offered it to me. Also, after doing an intense film like Ek Ladki Ko, I thought in this day and age, especially because of all the horrible stuff that’s going on in the world, when you go to the theatre, you want to see a fun film and The Zoya Factor is that.

Was it fun shooting for the film, too?
Yes. The weird thing was this film is all about luck, but everything just kept going wrong every day. For example, I had to put on weight and perm my hair. In the book, the character is a little plump and has frizzy hair. Since I’m not chubby and have poker-straight hair, I decided to perm them because it would have been difficult to curl them to that extent every day. So, I went to one of the best salons in the city. They forgot to put a protector on my head so that my hair is not damaged by the perming product, and my hair got burnt. Nobody knows about this, but that’s what happened. I also gained 10 kilos for the role, and it was hard to lose the weight. I’ve had mean things said to me, like ‘you’re looking so fat’. Some people asked if I was pregnant! Thankfully, I’ve lost that weight. I love doing comedy and I was working with my chacha (Sanjay Kapoor) and Dulquer Salmaan for the first time. It was a lot of fun.

Your uncle Sanjay Kapoor plays your father in the film. How was it working with him?
I worked with my dad in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and now my chacha plays my father in The Zoya Factor. Our family is entrenched in films. We eat, breathe and live movies. It was great to work with my uncle because I realised he has absolutely no ego. You’re working with your niece, who’s the lead of the film, but you have no qualms about it, and you’re happy to be a part of it. I’ve always been respectful of my chacha. Actually, I don’t even think of him as my uncle, he’s like a friend since he’s the youngest (brother) in the family and I’m close to Maheep (Sanjay’s wife).

How much do you believe in luck and destiny?
I believe a lot in destiny and that luck has to be on your side. But I also believe it has to be a combination with hard work. Just because everything is written, you can’t just sit on your bum and expect it to happen. Whatever I’ve learnt about work is from my dad and I haven’t seen a more hard-working man than him. He’s extremely talented and possibly the best actor in India; at the same time, he’s been in the right place at the right time.

To what extent has your career been about luck and how much has destiny played a part in it?
I’m born into a certain family, right? That’s destiny. I come from a film family and I decided to assist Sanjay Leela Bhansali on a movie. Ranbir (Kapoor) was already on it and I knew him since I was a child. When I applied for the job, SLB didn’t know I was Anil Kapoor’s daughter because nobody had ever seen me at events, as I hadn’t been photographed before. Ranbir told him, ‘My friend is coming for the job of an intern’. He was making Bajirao Mastani with Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan then, not Black. When I met SLB, he said, ‘I want to cast you in my film’. That, I guess, is destiny because without even knowing I’m Anil Kapoor’s daughter, he told me that. Of course, I had to audition after that.

Please continue...
At that time, Shraddha (Kapoor), Katrina (Kaif), Deepika (Padukone) — we were all auditioning together. Even for Delhi-6, I had to audition first. So, I think it was a combination of luck, destiny and hard work. Because I’m sure there are lots of girls who are prettier, more talented or more hardworking than me but it’s always about being in the right place at the right time. At the same time, if you don’t work hard, and if you don’t have talent, you cannot survive.

Was it Neerja that changed your career’s trajectory and the kind of roles you wanted to do?
I would say that it was after Raanjhanaa. Out of the 18 films that I have done, three have been unsuccessful. If I had to look back at my career, I would say Delhi-6 and Saawariya were great for me. Aisha was also amazing and so was I Hate Luv Stories. Then I did three films — Mausam, Thank You and Players — which didn’t work. Straight after that, I did Raanjahnaa, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Khoobsurat and Neerja. There was a period of two years when my films didn’t work. After that, I haven’t had films that did not work. When I did Raanjhanaa, I was 26, now I am 34 — so in eight years, I have done pretty much okay.  I don’t think I’m doing that badly.

Do you choose your scripts by gut feeling?
I don’t believe in gut feeling. I believe in doing stories that I feel attached to. Also, I like to work with good people. It has to be a combination of the two. I’ve been offered big films by some directors with whom I didn’t want to work either because I didn’t like them as people, the way they spoke to me or how they portrayed women. But I’ve worked with filmmakers like Ram Madhvani (Neerja director) who had helmed only one film Let’s Talk, 10 years before that. I have worked with a Shelly Chopra Dhar in Ek Ladki, Shashanka Ghosh in Khoobsurat — he had done just one film Quick Gun Murugun. I’ve worked with filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani, R Balki,  Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. I believe in collaborating with people who are like-minded, progressive, and who want to make good cinema. It doesn’t matter what the length of the role is, as long as my character is of importance.

From doing a cameo to being a part of an ensemble cast and playing lead roles, you have done everything in your recent releases...
Yes, even Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (BMB), I did because I was working with Rakeysh and his team after Delhi-6. Also, I thought if I have to do two songs and four scenes, I would rather do that in a film like BMB than any other typical commercial film. In a movie like Pad Man, I am there throughout the second half and it’s a film that says something amazing. In Neerja and Khoobsurat, I am there from the beginning till the end. I know that I have to be a part of scripts that mean something, that challenge me; stories that are entertaining, or have a message.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; September 10, 2019)

He made his Bollywood debut with Karwaan alongside Irrfan last year. While the movie was critically acclaimed, it did not exactly fare well at the box office. Now, Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan, who got rave reviews for his maiden Hindi outing, is gearing up for his next, The Zoya Factor. Based on Anuja Chauhan’s book by the same name, the movie will see him play a cricket captain. The day we met the actor, he had come straight from the airport, having flown in from Kerala. The 33-year-old opened up about his role in the film, how the market since the time his superstar father Mammootty did Hindi movies has changed for South actors, and why he has no qualms being part of a project that revolves around the female lead.

You made your Bollywood debut with Karwaan, which was not a mainstream commercial film...
(Cuts in) Yes, but, I have done stuff like that in other languages, too. When I hear different ideas, I gauge how much I like the script and the concept. I don’t particularly think how big or commercially viable the film is. If there is honesty in an idea, I like to do it. I wasn’t planning on entering any industry in that sense. Even OK Kanmani (2015) for Mani Ratnam was a small Tamil film. I look at content. The Zoya Factor has great content, which is also commercial. Even in Malayalam, some films are small and not mainstream, while the others are. I try to balance it out. I go by gut instinct. I don’t think too much about a debut film. If it’s good and people like it, they will like you. If they don’t like the movie, they won’t like the performance either.

Was it disappointing when Karwaan didn’t work at the box office?
No, we were not pitching it like a big film. It was a small sweet idea and we never expected it to do commercial film numbers. But, it was received well, and critically liked. It did decent numbers, we were all happy — not shocked or surprised. It has got a lot more love now when it released on a digital platform recently.

In The Zoya Factor, you are opposite Sonam Kapoor aka Sonam K Ahuja, who is a big name in Bollywood. Didn’t you have apprehensions that the film would be more about her than you?
No, I don’t mind. I did Mahanati (Telugu) with Keerthy Suresh, which is the biopic of South actress Savitri. The film is only about the girl, but I loved that my character had so much to do. He was kind of grey, almost negative in some scenes. Sometimes, I look at how good the project, as well as my role, are. Finally, the movie is the hero. If it does well, viewers will watch it and in turn, I will be seen. Sonam has a bigger fan base, so more people will watch the movie and I will be introduced to more audiences. So, I don’t take it negatively. I think it’s a plus.

What prompted you to sign the movie, to begin with?
I liked my character. I felt there was lot of scope for me to perform. I’ve never done a sports film before, it’s the first time I’m playing an athlete of any kind, so that was interesting. There’s a nice graph to it. Sonam’s and my character are opposites — she believes in luck and he believes in hard work. I liked all that. I felt it’s different from what I’ve done.

Did you read the book before signing the film?
No, I hadn’t, though I had it in my bookshelf. When they signed me, they said if you haven’t read the book, don’t. Because we want you to hear the screen adaptation. So, I read it after hearing the script initially. It is more detailed. It’s good that I didn’t read it before.

How interested are you in cricket?
You can’t ignore it in India. I have grown up around it. Street cricket is happening everywhere. I shifted from Kochi to Chennai when I was seven and the first thing I saw was kids playing cricket all the time. I made a lot of friends in the neighbourhood like that. And even in school, the sport was big. I went to college in America and there were a lot of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. It was nice to get together, watch cricket and support different teams.

Is your role fashioned on any cricketer?
No, we have not based it on any cricketer, but in Anuja’s writing there are some glimpses of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. My character’s got qualities of the best captains. The production got me a lovely coach and I would train with him when I was in Mumbai. Even when I would go to Kochi for my Malayalam film’s shoot, the coach would come down there and we would practise.

Several South superstars, including your father Mammotty, have forayed into Bollywood, but they haven’t been able to sustain. What do you think is the reason?
What happens with us is all of us come from a core market — I am established in Malayalam and somewhat in Tamil. So, it’s about how you weigh your options. If you have better scripts there, you do them. It all depends on what comes your way.

And sometimes, it’s difficult to say no to the progress you’ve made there. You can’t ignore that. Even now, if I take a long gap from Malayalam films, that can affect the progress I’ve made for so many years. So, that priority has to be there. When I do a film from another language, I try to find a movie that can be shot in two months. I don’t know who to compare myself with because I don’t know other actors who are juggling many industries.

Besides, the market has changed a bit now. It has become bigger, the number of screens has increased, there is OTT platform, worldwide markets, so it has helped us grow in terms of size, budget and viewership. You can push the film around the country even if it’s subtitled. We released Bangalore Days (his superhit Malayalam film) with subtitles across South and some stations in Mumbai and Delhi. It got that viewership. That is possible now. There are a lot of Malayalis everywhere, which was not the case earlier.

Prabhas has just made his Bollywood debut with Saaho...
Yeah, but that’s a bilingual movie, so, he’s not losing his focus there. It’s when you completely step away that it gets tricky. But I am trying to balance it.

Author Anuja Chauhan and director Abhishek Sharma on how they adapted Dulquer Salmaan and Sonam Kapoor-starrer The Zoya Factor for Bollywood
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; August 22, 2019)

While author Anuja Chauhan's other works have also been picked up for cinematic adaptations, she's glad that The Zoya Factor will be the first to hit screens. "It is my first novel. I wrote it a decade ago and it is all coming back," she smiles, happy with the way the Sonam Kapoor aka Sonam K Ahuja and Dulquer Salmaan starrer has shaped up. A rom-com revolving around cricket, the book was shaped by her own experiences of working in an ad agency. "I have shot with Mohammed Azharuddin to Virat Kohli."

Director Abhishek Sharma, who adapted the bestseller with Chauhan, says it has been a difficult process. "Writing a screenplay is a different ball game as compared to writing a book. While a novel is subjective, we wanted to be objective."

Sharma says the roles were tailor-made for Salmaan and Kapoor. "I call Dulquer DDG [Drop Dead Gorgeous] considering his female fan following. He surprised me with his talent. As for Sonam, she fits the character perfectly. We couldn't think of anyone else."

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 29, 2018)

Sonam Kapoor kicks off the shoot of Abhishek Sharma’s upcoming directorial, the screen adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s 2008 novel, The Zoya Factor, today in a plush SoBo apartment.

The actress will be joined by Sikandar Kher who plays her onscreen brother, and Sanjay Kapoor, her real-life uncle stepping into the role of her reel life dad. A source from the film reveals, “The week-long shoot kicks off with light-hearted scenes featuring the family at their residence. Dulquer Salmaan, who plays the male lead in the film, joins the shoot on Friday. From there, the team will move to the cricket sequences which will be filmed at popular cricket grounds like Navi Mumbai’s D Y Patil Stadium.”

Rucha Pathak, Chief Creative Officer, Fox Star Studios, tells Mirror, “The Zoya Factor is a much-loved novel by Anuja, which we’re thrilled to bring to the big screen. I think this is her first novel being turned into a feature so it’s quite a new and exciting journey for all of us.”

Ready to kick off The Zoya Factor in August, director Abhishek Sharma says, unlike in the book, South star's part won't be modelled on former skipper
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 20, 2018)

Given the legal battle that preceded its release, the unlikely success of Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran would have warranted a vacation for director Abhishek Sharma. But he is already neck-deep in work on his next — The Zoya Factor — based on Anuja Chauhan's bestselling novel by the same name. Featuring Dulquer Salman and Sonam K Ahuja, the film, Sharma informs, will go on floors in Mumbai by August end.

"I don't want to be known for a single genre, and this film takes me to a space I have not tried before. It's an amazing book. We locked the final script after nine drafts," says Sharma, who is happy to have "perfectionist" Chauhan at the helm of dialogue writing for the romance-comedy. When the book — that revolves around an advertising executive, Zoya Solanki, who tags along with the Indian cricket team to the World Cup because she is believed to be their lucky charm — was published in 2008, it was assumed that the male protagonist, Nikhil Khoda, was modelled on then-captain M S Dhoni.

However, Sharma insists Salmaan will add his own interpretation to the character of the Indian team skipper. "It's a fresh character. Once we start workshops next month, it's up to Dulquer how he approaches the part. Dhoni is an easy reference, but the Indian skipper has changed since 2008. So there's no reference; Dulquer will bring his own interpretation to the table."

Marking the first collaboration between Kapoor and the South star, the film's forte will be the chemistry between the leads. "Sonam Kapoor and Dulquer will make a fantastic pair. They are so unique and affable. Plus, the screenplay lends itself to a crackling equation between the protagonists, Nikhil and Zoya. The final touches will be attained in the rehearsals."

The actors have been paired for the first time in the screen adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s best-selling novel, The Zoya Factor, which rolls in August. The story weaves cricket into a rom-com
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 13, 2018)

Mirror (January 22) had earlier reported that South sensation Dulquer Salmaan and Sonam Kapoor will feature in the screen adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s 2008 novel The Zoya Factor. Director Abhishek Sharma recently completed the final draft of the script and will start shooting in August. The film will release on April 5, 2019.

“Cricket woven into a rom-com and touching on superstition and luck, it’s an amazing book for a screen adaptation. The book has many layers, characters and tracks, so it took Neha Rakesh Sharma some time to pen a tight screenplay and Pradhuman Singh to write the dialogues. Now, we’ve gone back to Anuja who’s happy with the script to polish it and work on additional dialogues as nobody knows the characters better than her,” informs Abhishek, pointing out that the challenge is bigger when the book is a bestseller and fresh in people’s minds.

Dulquer will play Nikhil Khoda, the captain of the Indian Cricket Team in the film for which Fox Star Studios is collaborating with Aarti and Pooja Shetty Deora, with Sonam as Zoya Singh Solanki, an advertising agent. “She was the first person that came to my mind as she’s as bubbly as Zoya and after seeing Neerja, I’d sent her an autographed copy of the book requesting that she read it. We both got busy with our respective commitments after that but a few months later, Sonam checked with Aarti, a close friend of hers, on the status of the screen adaptation,” Abhishek reminisces.

He admits he wasn’t too exposed to Dulquer’s work until Aarti showed him the trailer of Mani Ratnam’s OK Kanmani. “I knew immediately that this was the boy we were looking for. In the book, Nikhil is from the North but in our film, he hails from the South but speaks good Hindi,” reveals the director, adding that Dulquer is a brilliant actor with expressive eyes and makes a great pair with Sonam. “I later saw parts of Bangalore Days and Comrade in America and was most impressed.”

He recently did a photo shoot with his lead pair. It was a quick shoot as he was wrapping up another film and Sonam was rushing out of town. “We didn’t get to chat much but I’m sure it’s going to be a great shoot as they respect each other’s work,” asserts the filmmaker, adding that Dulquer, a cricket enthusiast, will start prepping for his part closer to the shoot, besides joining Sonam for readings and workshops.

The book was about a client service rep who is pulled away from a Shah Rukh Khan shoot to go cut a commercial for a soft drink with the Indian cricket team whose disciplinarian captain cuts into her time forcing her to stay back. Meanwhile, the players learn that Zoya was born at the moment the Indian team won its first World Cup in 1983. They also discover that if they have breakfast with her, they return victorious and vice versa, leading Zoya to become a lucky charm for not just the boys in blue, but also the president of the cricket board and the country at large. The only one who is sceptical is the newly appointed skipper, Nikhil. Zoya and he are at loggerheads even as they are drawn to each other, and cola majors and other cricket boards try to steal her away while in the thick of World Cup action. Prod Abhishek on whether he has made any changes to the original story and he says, “A few for which I convinced Anuja. The story is now set in 2011 before India lifted its second World Cup and we have shifted base from Delhi to Mumbai,” he says with a smile.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 22, 2018)

Mirror (August 11) was the first to report that after delivering hits like Mani Ratnam’s O Kadhal Kanmani, Anjali Menon’s Bangalore Days and Martin Prakkat’s Charlie, Malayalam actor and son of veteran South actor Mammootty, Dulquer Salmaan is to make his Bollywood debut with Ronnie Screwvala’s Karwaan which also features Irrfan Khan and Mithila Palkar. While reports of the 31-year-old actor signing many new films have been doing the rounds, we have learnt that Dulquer has given his nod to a Sonam Kapoor-starrer, a screen adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s 2008 novel The Zoya Factor. “It’s an interesting character and Dulquer has liked the script. While he has committed to the project he is yet to sign on the dotted line,” informs a source.

The fictional story revolves around Zoya Singh Solanki and the younger players in India’s cricket team, who after discovering that the advertising executive was born at the very moment when India won the World Cup in 1983 and that having breakfast with her ensures victory, decide she is their lucky charm. Pursued by international cricket boards and wooed by advertisers, Zoya struggles to stay grounded in the thick of World Cup action. It doesn’t help that she keeps clashing with the brilliant new skipper who tells her that he doesn’t believe in luck.

In August, Sonam had confirmed that she is a part of the film. “Super excited to work with amazing sister duo, Aarti and Pooja Shetty, with the brilliant Abhishek Sharma on Anuja Chauhan’s Zoya factor (sic),” she had announced on the social media.

The actress is currently busy with the promotions of R Balki’s Pad Man, with Akshay Kumar in the titular role, and the filming of her home production, Veere Di Wedding, also featuring Kareena Kapoor. “The Zoya Factor is expected to roll sometime in March-April,” adds the source.

When contacted, Rucha Pathak of Fox Star Studios who is producing the film did not deny the news, saying instead, “We are yet to finalise the cast and will soon make the announcement.”

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; May 11, 2015)

The industry grapevine has been buzzing with stories about how Saif Ali Khan was replaced in the cinematic adaptation of bestseller Battle of Bittora after Anil Kapoor's home production acquired the movie rights.

A source says, "When Anil contacted author Anuja Chauhan with the proposal to turn her book into a film, he was redirected to the production company which had bought the rights much earlier. Their original choice was Saif and the actor, too, was quite keen to do the film. He had liked the script a lot."

However, after a round of negotiations with the company, Anil apparently paid a whopping amount to buy the film rights. "Once he took over, it was announced that his daughter Sonam will play the lead. Later, he signed Fawad Khan instead of continuing with Saif who was already on board," adds the source. Anil and Saif were not available for comment.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; October 6, 2014)