The duo will feature in Dinesh Vijan’s horror-comedy that kicks off in June and will open on March 20 next year
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 29, 2019)

Eight months after her debut film Dhadak opened in the theatres on July 20, 2018, Janhvi Kapoor who has been busy with the shoot of her next, Kargil Girl, the biopic of Gunjan Saxena, one of India’s first combat aviators to be posted in Kargil during the 1999 war, has just inked a new deal. The 22-year-old actress will join Rajkummar Rao and Varun ‘Choocha’ Sharma in the horror comedy Rooh-Afza which kicks off in June in Uttar Pradesh. It will release on March 20, 2020.

Confirming the casting, producer Dinesh Vijan pointed out that with Stree last year, his company had successfully ventured into the exciting world of horror-comedy with the intention of building on the genre and taking it forward. “Rajkummar and Varun are actors who excel in comedy and own the space. For the leading lady we were looking for someone who had not experimented with the genre before and Janhvi fit the bill perfectly. The script is young and wonderfully crazy and though we haven’t seen Janhvi in this avatar yet, that’s how she is in real life. I’m pretty sure she will pull off the contrasting personalities with effortless ease,” he exulted from London.

According to a source, the actress has a double role in the film. “She plays Roohi and Afza who are the polar opposites of each other. While one is chirpy, the other is subdued, both equally sweet. Janhvi will bring back memories of her mother Sridevi’s twin turns, Anju and Manju, in the ’89 slapstick comedy ChaalBaaz,” informed the source.

Mirror had earlier reported (February 27) that the story is set in Moradabad and inspired by a folk legend revolving around weddings, first nights and spirits. Raj and Varun play two small-town idiots caught in situations that are spine chilling but will simultaneously spark off plenty of laughs like Stree.

It will be directed by Hardik Mehta who was the script-supervisor on films like Lootera and Queen and co-writer on Trapped. His 2015 Gujarati documentary, Amdavad Ma Famous, won the Swarna Kamal at the 63rd National Award in the non-feature film section while his debut feature film, Kamyaab premiered in Busan last year.

Mrighdeep Lamba who is producing the film with Dinesh explained their choice of Hardik, saying, “Only a director who understands the whacky world of films, can make the crazy characters pop up on screen… Make them real, despite them being in the most absurd situations. We saw that ability in Hardik. Plus, his repertoire is impressive.”

Dinesh Vijan and Mrighdeep Lamba’s horror-comedy revolves around a singing ghost who puts grooms to sleep so it can possess their brides
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 27, 2019)

On December 17, 2018, Mirror had reported that after their successful horror-comedy Stree, Dinesh Vijan and Rajkummar Rao would be reuniting for another film in the same genre. The producer had confirmed the news just before he left for his honeymoon in December 2018, revealing that Raj would be playing a self-proclaimed hero who is a bit of a fool in the new film. He had also promised that the character would be as riveting as Vicky, Stree’s ladies’ tailor.

While Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee had played the actor’s buddies in the earlier film, Raj will have Varun Sharma, Fukrey’s much-loved Choocha, for company this time around. The two small-town idiots are caught in situations that are as spine-chilling as they are laughter-inducing.

Now, Mirror has learnt that the film in question has found itself a quirky title, Rooh-Afza, which is a pointer to the supernatural encounters that unravel in the story. It is jointly produced by Dinesh and Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, the director of the Fukrey franchise, and is scheduled to roll in May this year. The director and the female lead will be finalised soon.

Stree revolved around a folk legend of a female spirit who is believed to haunt the town of Chanderi during an annual fourday festival, spiriting away young men wandering alone at night, leaving behind only a trail of their clothes. To ward off the ghost and to protect the residents from her evil eye, the phrase, “O Stree kal aana” is painted in red on the walls of every home during the festive season and the men strongly advised not to step out of their houses after 10 pm.

The new horror-comedy is set in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and revolves around another folk legend. In Rooh-Afza, every time a wedding happens in the town, the women scramble to keep the groom awake through his first night. “At the same time, the chudail is trying to put him to sleep with a lullaby. It is believed that if a groom dozes off, she proceeds to possess his bride in a bid to make his marital life hell. The film is a laugh riot all the way while at the same time, talk of the legend and the spirit will have you looking around yourself, wondering if she is anywhere closeby,” informs Dinesh, adding, “Even though it is named after the refreshing summer drink, Rooh Afza, there is nothing sweet about it.”

Actor’s third outing with Dinesh Vijan is a horror-romedy also featuring Varun Sharma
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 17, 2018)

On December 8 Mirror had reported that Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar will be coming together for the third time for Dinesh Vijan’s quirky romcom, Bala. Now, we have learnt that the producer who tied the knot last Thursday, is on his way to a hattrick with another favourite actor, Rajkummar Rao. After Stree and Made In China, the duo will be reuniting for a yet-untitled horror-romedy which rolls early next year.

Confirming the news Dinesh who flew off this morning on his honeymoon, said, “Yes, Raj and I are back and I couldn’t be happier as he’s one of the most talented actors we have today. He springs a surprise with every film and this one will be no different. He plays a small-time goon whose plans go haywire when he discovers that he might be in store for some supernatural encounters. You can be sure he will be as riveting as Stree’s ladies’ tailor, chasing after a ghost.”

Dinesh has also roped in Varun Sharma, a household name as Fukrey’s Choocha. “Varun is in my comic caper, Arjun Patiala, as Diljit Dosanjh’s lackey Onida Singh, a cop with an arrogant swagger and a sarcastic tongue. I was waiting to offer him another role that would bring the laughs,”- exclaims the filmmaker who’s hoping to lock his leading lady once he returns from a two-week vacation. “The female lead is an exciting character, and much like Stree, she’ll be the focal point and game changer for this film too. It’s definitely going to be a laugh riot, off and on the set,” he promises. The film will have the small-town flavour and witty repartee which has become the trademark of Dinesh’s recent work. It will be filmed in Muradabad and while Stree revolved around the legend of a visiting spirit to a temple town for three days in the year, this one takes a quirky look at the underbelly of the Uttar Pradesh city, with a paranormal twist.

Given that Stree is one of the year’s biggest hits, one would assume Amar Kaushik will be directing this film too. “No, Amar will be caught up with Bala which rolls in March and releases in September. Mrigdeep Singh Lamba, the man behind the Fukrey franchise, is the creative director, we are looking for a director,” says Dinesh.

Mrigdeep adds that the two actors are a stellar combination nobody has explored and it will be a delight to watch Raj’s effervescent energy match Varun’s inherent comical innocence.

“Though Raj has proved his comic timing with Bareilly Ki Barfi and Stree, here he will have to shed every bit of himself and get under the skin of this self-proclaimed village hero who’s actually a fool. As opposed to Stree which was a horror-comedy, this one is a horror-romedy, the story of two village idiots stuck in a frightful situation but whose foolhardy shenanigans never stop. Though an out-and-out laugh riot, the horror sequences are spine-chilling as the legend associated with this story makes you stop and check if it has happened somewhere around you as well,” he says.

Dinesh who is also working on the Stree sequel reiterates that this is a totally new concept and another creative challenge for him. “But as they say, behind every successful man in a woman and now with my real-life stree Pramita with me, I can really push the envelope,” he signs off with a laugh. 

Karishma Tanna lashes out at an event organiser who has accused her of cheating
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; March 18, 2018)

Karishma Tanna has been accused by Delhi-based event manager Manas Katyal of cheating and threatening him. A police complaint has been lodged in Delhi against the actress. According to Manas, he had approached Karishma to perform at a wedding reception in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, last month for which he paid the actress an advance of over Rs 2.5 lakh. However, there was no written agreement between the two parties.

Refuting the accusation, Karishma told BT, “How can he say that I cheated him, when I am the one who has been cheated.”

Karishma says, “I wasn’t happy with the money offered for the event, but I agreed to do it as they had pursued me for a month. I was apprehensive because it also included a long journey by road, which I usually avoid because of my knee and back issues.”

The actress also claims that Manas did not tell her about the exact location of the event. She says, “He told me that the event is in Moradabad and also shared the details of the hotel I was to stay at. It was only when we were half-an-hour away from the hotel that the driver told us that the destination was Haldwani and not Moradabad, which would take four hours more to reach. That’s when I told him to stop the car as there was no clarity. I frantically called Manas, but there was no response. I was accompanied by two girls — my hair stylist and my manager. We requested the driver to take us back to Delhi, who relented after I pleaded for 15 minutes. I was too scared for my safety. I was traumatised and harassed by this man (Manas). When he finally returned my call, he admitted to his fault and agreed to pay Rs 50,000 more as compensation for the confusion.”

The actress says that if she had to commit a fraud, she would have taken the money and not left Mumbai. In no mood to forgive Manas, Karishma says, “Why should I compensate him? I had to stay at a hotel in Delhi till I got back to Mumbai. My whole day was wasted. I am in touch with my lawyer and we will take appropriate action.”

On his part, Manas says, “I was clear about the venue since the beginning and there is no question of keeping her in the dark. If she wasn’t aware of the destination, how did her dance troupe reach there and perform? She has been claiming that she reached Moradabad, however, the fact is that she returned from Ghaziabad itself. She has also cited health issues as the reason for not travelling for long hours, while the fact is that she was scheduled to perform in Sri Lanka the very next day. She backed out because she didn’t want to lose out on an international project. I have already filed a police complaint and now I plan to take her to court.”

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 16, 2018)

TV actor Karishma Tanna has landed in a legal soup with Delhi-based event manager Manas Katyal accusing her of fraud. Katyal has slapped a legal notice accusing the actor of cheating, threatening and blackmailing him.

According to Katyal, a former TV actor who appeared in Rakhi Ka Swayamvar, Tanna had been roped in to perform at a wedding reception in Haldwani on February 16. “We gave her the advance payment, thus booking her for the said date. However, Karishma and her entourage, including her manager Payal Rai and stylist Seema Samar Ahmed, didn’t show up at the venue. Her noshow caused us a loss of nearly Rs 10 lakh.”

He adds that Tanna had been flown down to Delhi by them and was being brought to Haldwani by road when she had a change of heart. “She threatened our driver with a false case of harassment if he didn’t turn the car around and drive her back to Delhi.”

Tanna, on her part, accuses Katyal of duping her. "I was told the show was in Moradabad. When we reached Moradabad, we found out that the show was actually in Haldwani, which is another few hours from there. I had told Manas right at the start that I have a back issue and can’t travel long distances.”

Countering Katyal’s demand that she compensate for his loss, she retorts, “ Why should I return the money? He should compensate me for the mental harassment that I was put through.”

Tanna’s lawyer Tushar Gujjar says they have responded to Katyal’s notice and initiated proceedings against him.