The duo grew close during the marathon schedule of a comedy in London
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 18, 2019)

Mirror had recently reported (September 9) that Huma Qureshi and Mudassar Aziz have made their relationship Insta-official after dating for over a year. On the filmmaker’s birthday on September 5, the actress shared a series of pictures, calling them “The Many Moods of Mudassar” and adding, “love you more than you know.”

Now, we have learnt that Kriti Kharbanda and Pulkit Samrat, who first worked together in Ashu Trikha’s 2018 romcom, Veerey Ki Wedding, are going steady since the last six months. The frequent costars, who will be seen together again in the multi-starrer comedy, Pagalpanti, had first sparked dating rumours by making a joint appearance at Varun Sharma’s birthday bash in February last year.

However, a source close to the development informs that the duo grew close during the shoot of Pagalpanti in the UK earlier this year. “Kriti and Pulkit would hang out a lot together during the 58-day schedule of the film in London. They live in the same residential complex. She was charmed by his small but thoughtful gestures,” the source reveals, adding that while Pulkit’s dedication to fitness has rubbed off on Kriti—they work-out with the same trainer—the Bangalore girl who is fond of South Indian food has got her beau hooked to the cuisine and often sends homemade dishes for him on sets.

While shooting in Leeds during the rains earlier this year, the duo had shared solo pictures from the same spot in front of the Albion Court. “When it rains, I share my umbrella. If there’s no umbrella, I share the rain,” Pulkit had quipped alongside the post, while Kriti simply quoted a Rihanna chartbuster, “Under my umbrella.”

Before that, the actress, who will next be seen in Housefull 4, headlined by Akshay Kumar, had wished Pulkit on his birthday on December 29 last year, calling him a “hero”, while Pulkit had marked her birthday on October 29 by cheekily hailing her as a “drama queen”. “Wish you loads of love and no love handles. I had a picture of us together, but I looked hotter than you, so I dropped the idea,” the actor had remarked.

Interestingly, the couple is now heading towards a hat-trick as co-stars with Bejoy Nambiar’s next Taish but aren’t paired opposite each other in it. “They have been offered some more projects together too and are presently shooting for a song for Pagalpanti in Mumbai. Whenever they are shooting together, Pulkit always makes sure to send chocolates or flowers over to Kriti’s makeup room before she has turned up at work,” the source signs off.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 3, 2019)

Anees Bazmee’s comedy Paagalpanti featuring John Abraham, Ileana D’cruz, Anil Kapoor and Kriti Kharbanda, among others, which was being filmed in Leeds since mid-March has been battling snow and rain, before moving to sunny London a few days ago. “It was raining non-stop in Leeds and impossible to step outdoors. I had been warned about the weather conditions when I had come for the recce. The first six days of shoot were smooth sailing, then, we hit a stormy patch,” he informs.

So, how did he overcome the hurdle between March 15 to 22? “We reworked our schedule to take the shooting indoors each time the weather got difficult. As a director I can’t waste my actors’ dates, nor can I fight the weather. After all the indoor sequences were done, we had no option but to step out. We were shooting a night scene with John, Anil, Ileana, Kriti, Saurabh (Shukla) and Pulkit (Samrat). My cast and crew were shivering in the cold, fortunately, my DoP managed to get a heater so they could be warm between shots,” he reminisces from a luxury hotel in London where they are filming a meeting of the baddies.

Anees will shoot two songs for the Bhushan Kumar-Abhishek Pathak production, one with John and Ileana, and another with the entire cast, before wrapping up on May 1. 

Director Anees Bazmee's upcoming comic caper rolls from February 17 with a night sequence in a jungle
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 13, 2019)

Almost two years after the release of his 2017 multi-starrer Mubarakan, featuring Arjun Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz and Athiya Shetty, Anees Bazmee is back in London for his next, a laugh riot titled Pagalpanti. He will be joined by his cast, including John Abraham, Ileana, Arshad Warsi, Pulkit Samrat, Kriti Kharbanda and Urvashi Rautela. The film will roll from Sunday, February 17. Anil and Saurabh Shukla will join them three days later.

“It’s cold and fabulous out here,” exults the director from the Queen’s City. He arrived a few days earlier with his art director, cinematographer and assistants for the final prep. The actors arrive on February 15 for readings and rehearsals. “Shooting will start two days later with a night schedule in a jungle close to Carlton Gardens which, in the film, is supposed to be haunted leaving the actors terrified of the ghosts,” Anees informs.

They will also be filming at Allerton Towers, a 35-acre park in South Liverpool. Why did he go back to London after filming his last film in the city? “I had gone on a recce for Mubarakan several times and identified some fabulous locations which I will capture on screen this time. We also have a brief stint in Leeds,” says Anees. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Kumar Mangat and Abhishek Pathak.

Quiz the filmmaker on the characters and he says John plays a common man and has some great lines. “He’s been wanting to do comedy and is really excited, he has some action scenes as well,” he says.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 11, 2019)

Director Anees Bazmee headed to London on Friday to set the ball rolling for Pagalpanti. Anil Kapoor, John Abraham and Ileana D’Cruz will join him this week in time for the comic caper’s first schedule that kicks off on February 17. On the cards is a heavy-duty action sequence featuring the cast — including Pulkit Samrat and Kriti Kharbanda — that will be shot over two nights in suburban London. With the mercury dipping below 5 degrees Celsius at nights, the director acknowledges that it will be a physically demanding shoot.

“We kick off with an elaborate night sequence that will be shot in the countryside. Since it is cold in London at the moment, I decided to start with the toughest scene. I want people to complain most on the first day. In the case of Mubarakan (2017) too, I did the same,” laughs Bazmee, who has planned a 60-day start-to-finish schedule in London and Leeds.

While multi-starrers can be a challenge, the director says he enjoys the creative energy on the set. “[In my stories], every character is crucial to the plot. You take out one character and the film falls apart. In my experience, ensembles are based on honesty. You should know how to tell a leading actor, ‘Sir, iss scene mein aap kuch nahi karoge, aap peeche khade rahoge.’”

Quiz him if content-driven cinema has relegated masala films to the sidelines, and he dismisses the notion. “These are blockbuster movies that are meant for mass viewing. Such films never go out of fashion.”

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 5, 2014)

Even as his upcoming film Haider gears up for an October 2 release, Shahid Kapoor is horsing around in Leeds for Vikas Bahl's rom-com Shaandaar. It revolves around an elaborate destination wedding and Shahid is paired with the vivacious Alia Bhatt.

Here's a picture from Day 1 of the film's schedule. Shahid's seen atop his horse, Rocky, who the actor is just getting to know.

Vikas is tight-lipped about the film but Mirror has learnt that Shahid plays a character suffering from insomnia.. Revealed a source close to the development, "Both Alia and Shahid are insomniacs and fall in love in the middle of a larger-than-life wedding during long, sleepless nights. It's an interesting character with a lot of quirks."

The UK schedule of the film is expected to continue till November. Shahid is expected to fly back to the country close to Haider's release.

The film will also feature Shahid's father Pankaj Kapur and will mark the acting debut of his sister Sanah. It is looking at a 2015 release.