Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 23, 2018)

Barely out of cousin Mohit Marwah’s wedding festivities in Ras Al-Khaimah, Arjun Kapoor has dived headlong into the first schedule of Namastey England. The actor chose to kick-start the Amritsar schedule on an auspicious note yesterday by visiting the Golden Temple with director Vipul Shah and co-star Parineeti Chopra.

Talking about his first visit to the holy shrine, Kapoor says, “Being there evokes a surreal feeling. To visit the temple on the same day when my film rolls, is a memory that will always be special.” Kapoor and Chopra set the ball rolling by filming a comic scene in a bylane near the spiritual site.

“Given Arjun and Parineeti’s rapport, they shot worked out smoothly without many retakes,” reveals the unit hand, adding that Shah treated the crew to sumptuous Punjabi meal of chhole kulche. The fortnight-long schedule will be followed by a stint in Patiala.

The love story begins there; moves to Ludhiana, Patiala, Dhaka, Paris, Brussels and finally London
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 20, 2018)

Arjun Kapoor who made his Bollywood debut opposite Parineeti Chopra in Habib Faisal’s 2012 romantic thriller Ishaqzaade, will be reuniting with the actress in Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s Namastey England which will kick start from Thursday in Amritsar.

The director had earlier filmed in Chandigarh and Patiala for the Salman Khan-Ajay Devgn starrer London Dreams and for Namastey London with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. This is the first time he will be shooting in Amritsar and Vipul who loves Punjab is looking forward to it. “From Amritsar, we move to Ludhiana and Patiala. We are filming at more than 75 locations spread across these three cities. Later, we’ll also be shooting in Dhaka, Paris, Brussels and finally in London. That’s how the love story progresses,” informs Vipul.

The director says that this is the perfect time to be in Punjab as the weather is neither too hot nor too cold and the crops will make for stunning visuals. “Both their characters are from Punjab and this is the first time that Arjun and Parineeti will be playing genuine lovers. Away from the camera, they are good friends and are always joking and pranking. There’s a lot of camaraderie and it’s going to be fun working with them,” he adds.

Arjun and Parineeti have been prepping for a few weeks. They have gone through dance rehearsals, costume trials, readings and now are ready for “Lights, Camera, Action! You will see a completely new Arjun and Parineeti,” Vipul promises.

Samyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 30, 2018)

Before she jumps into shooting two back-to-back big-budget films — Vipul Shah’s Namastey England with Arjun Kapoor and Karan Johar’s Kesari with Akshay Kumar —Parineeti Chopra is taking off to Maldives today with her girlfriends for a holiday after wrapping up a Dibaker Banerjee directorial. She plans to rejuvenate with some beach time and scubadiving.

“Maldives has been a favourite holiday destination for Parineeti who is already a certified diver. This time, she wants to brush up her diving skills and learn some advanced moves,” a friend of the actress informed Mirror.

Parineeti kicks off the first schedule of Namastey England with a fun-filled Valentine’s Day photo-shoot on February 14, which will feature her and Arjun in their characters from the film, which is a sequel to the Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif-starrer 2007 hit, Namastey London. The second instalment in the franchise will be a completely new story within the same genre and premise as the original. The makers had picked ‘Namastey Canada’ as the new title for their film, but went back to the original title after a recce in the UK was wrapped up in December. Now, the film will be shot from February up to the summer in the UK, Punjab and Mumbai.

On the sidelines of an event last week, Parineeti had teased fans about a ‘secret’ with respect to her character in Kesari. And while that’s all hush-hush so far, she shared that she has wanted to work with Akshay for a really long time. “I think this is the perfect film because both of us are Punjabis and feel for the subject,” she points out. Directed by Anurag Singh, the film inspired by the Battle of Saragarhi is slated for a 2019 Holi release.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; January 13, 2018)

Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor started their careers almost around the same time when they paired up for Ishaqzaade. While Parineeti’s debut film Ladies vs Ricky Bahl had already hit screens, it was Arjun’s maiden release. Now, six years later, the two actors are teaming up yet again not for one, but two consecutive films. They have begun shooting for Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar and have also signed Namastey England, which they begin right after.

Parineeti is thrilled about reuniting with her favourite co-star. “Arjun is lucky. He gets to work with me in two back-to-back films again,” she laughs. Pari adds, “My relationship with Arjun is such that I can kick him and tell him, ‘Just shut up and behave yourself’. He can do the same with me as well. That’s because we share a very special bond.”

The actress also explains that their friendship stemmed from an area of vulnerability. “Both of us bonded at a very vulnerable time in our lives. His mom was ill when Ishaqzaade was coming out and I wasn’t even an actor by then because Ladies vs Ricky Bahl had not released when we were shooting that film,” she continues, “If anybody says anything negative about him, I’m there in the front row, fighting for him and defending him. I can even kill for him. I can’t hear anyone saying anything bad about Arjun because I have this undying love for Arjun.”

Ask her about doing two back-to-back films together and she reasons, “They are two completely different films. They are from two different schools altogether.”

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; December 18, 2017)

Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra, who are currently shooting for Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, will begin work on their next — Namastey England — once they wrap up Dibakar Banerjee’s thriller. Namastey England is the second instalment in the hit franchise, Namastey London, which featured Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif.

There were also reports of another heroine joining the cast. Says a reliable source, “Yes, the film demands another actress.” But unlike Arjun’s last movie Mubarakan, this one won’t be a love triangle. Our khabri reveals, “The girl’s role is written in a way that though it doesn’t have much screen time, it will take the story ahead. She won’t be Arjun’s love interest.” Two actresses  — Disha Patani and Pooja Hegde — have already been approached for the role.

The source adds, “While Disha refused the offer, Pooja is likely to be finalised, unless the makers get another heroine on board.” Let’s see who finally bags it!

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 18, 2017)

After featuring in Habib Faisal’s 2012 romantic thriller, Ishaqzaade, Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra will reunite for Vipul Shah’s upcoming directorial which has reverted to the original title Namastey England from Namastey Canada. “We have made the change primarily because I think the script is far more culturally suited in London than in Canada,” Shah tells Mirror.

He is quick to clarify that contrary to reports, there had been no skirmishes with his Namastey London leading man, Akshay Kumar, who had registered the title ‘Namastey England’ a while ago. “Akshay has been most gracious from the outset, and had given me the title much earlier. But I had by then already made the choice of ‘Canada’. The change in title happened a month ago and the film’s team has already done a reccee in the UK,” Vipul informs.

However, the filmmaker is quick to add that this film isn’t a sequel to Namastey London and will have its own world. January will be dedicated to prep and workshops. Shooting kicks off in Punjab in the first week of February, followed by a London schedule. The film is slated for a December 7, 2018 release.

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; July 12, 2017)

At a a time when political correctness is the order of the day, Arjun Kapoor makes for a refreshing change with his honest answers. Point out that his love life hits headlines ever so often — the most recent being his link-up with Mubarakan co-star Athiya Shetty — and the actor candidly says he’s been “so selfish” about his work that he has no time for a relationship.

“Since I started working in 2012, I haven’t had time for myself, let alone someone else. The only time I took a break was before I started working on Ki & Ka (2016). In fact, after Mubarakan, I have two months when I will be busy prepping for Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar. So, my personal life has always taken a back seat.”

Kapoor, 32, says that he craves the warmth and stability that a relationship brings. “Anyone would want to have someone whom you can talk to about nothing. I’d love to pass out next to someone who will tuck me in, or may be surprise someone by taking her out for dinner. I keep saying that it will happen soon and I hope it does,” he laughs.

However, he maintains that marriage is still a far-fetched thought. “I feel I have two years before I get married. I’d love to be in a steady relationship and consolidate it. Marriage, to me, is a step that needs to be taken when you are 200 per cent sure.”

For now, it’s all work for Kapoor. The actor is excited about his upcoming release, which has him attempting a family comedy. “There are very few directors who have been successful in this genre and Anees Bazmee [director] is one of them. My last film, Half Girlfriend (2017), was really intense. So, this film was something I really needed.”

The actor will be seen in a double role in the comedy. What makes the film all the more special is the fact that he is sharing screen space with chacha Anil Kapoor. “When a child goes to play with both his parents around, he can have fun without worrying about anything. The same holds true for the combination of Anil Kapoor and Anees Bazmee. I knew they had my back at all times. I had a blast working with Anil chachu, whose films I’ve grown up watching and still watch.”

Buzz is that Arjun has been approached for Namastey England, the sequel to Vipul Shah’s Namastey London (2007). Prod him on how he plans to fill Akshay Kumar’s shoes and he says, “I feel it’s always better to talk about a film once the producer has announced it. So, as of now, I’m only doing Dibakar’s film.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 10, 2017)

Ten years after the Akshay Kumar-Katrina Kaif’s inter-continental love story, Namastey London, set the box-office ringing, filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah is prepping to roll with the second instalment, Namastey England, with Arjun Kapoor stepping into Akki’s shoes. And contrary to rumours about a fall out between Vipul and his former leading man, Mirror has learnt that before jumping into Reema Kagti’s sports-drama, Gold, Akki gave a nod to his replacement, excited that a “handsome, commercially successful munda” like Arjun will take the hit franchise forward.

A source told Mirror that Arjun, who has watched the original multiple times, loved the script and the cultural conflict it presented, reminiscent of the original but better. “Arjun was keen because the franchise provides a unique perspective on how Indians are looked at internationally and vice versa. But he wanted to make sure that Akshay had no problems about the franchise moving forward without him, before signing on the dotted line. Last month, Akshay and Vipul who have been close friends and have collaborated on a dozen films over the last two decades, mutually agreed to go ahead with Arjun. The film will roll early 2018 and like the original, will be shot in Punjab and the UK,” the source says.

Namastey London took off with Indian-born-London-based Manmohan Malhotra, played by Rishi Kapoor, wanting to marry off his daughter Jasmeet aka Jazz to a Punjabi from his hometown. Arjun Singh, played by Akki, the chosen groom, however discovers after the saat pheras that Jazz has a royal Brit in her life and doesn’t want a desi husband in the frame. The film reflected the cultural conflict NRI parents faced with their children and was widely applauded at home and abroad. “The second film too has been scripted in a manner to appeal to expats and has a Punjabi and Brit flavour,” informs the source, adding that like it was for Katrina, the role of the actress in Namastey England too is a career-defining one. “She’s an ambitious Punjabi, who’s fascinated by the glitz and glamour and wants to move to UK while Arjun’s character, a mischievous desi Romeo, is rooted in his land and culture like the original Arjun Singh. His character will be quite quirky this time around.”

Though it’s the love story of a young couple, it will feature another leading lady in a relatively smaller appearance. Meanwhile, Arjun, whose next film, Mubarakan, is up for release this month, will start filming Dibakar Banerjee’s romancethriller, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, which reunites him with his Ishaqzaade co-star Parineeti Chopra. Buzz is, Parineeti has been approached for Namastey England too. So we’ll just have to wait and watch if Vipul will bring the hit couple back together for a hat-trick.

Current box office king Akshay Kumar on how he hates the word ‘clash’
Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; August 16, 2016)

Akshay Kumar continues his dream run at the box office with Rustom, his third film of 2016 also proving to be a hit with cinegoers. The thriller has grossed Rs 50.42 crore in its three-day run, beating Hrithik Roshan’s Mohenjo Daro by a cool margin of Rs 20 crore.

Ask Akshay about being the boss of the box office and how the clash worked in his favour, he shrugs and says, “I hate the word ‘clash’. I want everybody’s film to work because everybody works hard. Hrithik is yet to congratulate me, but he will always remain my neighbour. We will continue to hang out and dine together. My equation with Hrithik won’t change just because our movies released together. I haven’t seen Mohenjo Daro yet. If I get time, I will definitely watch it.”

Before the box office clash, er, competition, a majority of industry folk had shown support to the action star’s film, clearly indicating who had the upper hand. “It was interesting to see that actors who have not worked with me promoted it [Rustom] on Twitter and it worked for the film. I feel this trend should continue. I was quite nervous before the release because you never know how the audience will react. Two to three scripts come to me everyday, but you get good ones only if you are lucky,” he smiles.

Rustom, according to trade pundits, will breach the R 100-crore mark, making it his third century (after Airlift and Housefull 3) on the trot this year. But, Akshay says he doesn’t take success seriously. “Today, my films are doing well, tomorrow, they may not. Like recently, someone reminded me of 14 flops that I have delivered,” he says.

Akshay will soon begin shooting the second schedule of Jolly LLB 2, but assures that his other project, Vipul Shah’s Namastey England, is also on track. The film was supposed to go on floors last April, but has been delayed with reports suggesting that the actor wants changes in the script. However, he says. “There is no delay. The script is yet to be locked. So, we will start it only when the script is ready.” He also dissed rumours about being part of Aankhen 2. “I am not even aware of a sequel,” he signs off.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 15, 2016)

Mirror had earlier reported (May 3) that Vipul Shah's next directorial, Namastey England, featuring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, was to roll in August and would be shot across England, Switzerland, Brussels, Paris and Punjab. Now, we hear the film has been put on the backburner.

"It's a brilliant script but the story demands a lot of prep and the film has to be lavishly mounted. Since this takes time, Vipul has decided to put the film on hold while he arranges the finances," informs a source close to the development.

Sonakshi and Akshay have moved on to other projects. The 29-yearold actress has flown to Bangkok for Vipul's Force 2, after which she kicks off Sunhil Sippy's Noor. This will be followed by promotions for A R Murugadoss's Akira after which she starts work on Abhay Chopra's remake of the Yash Chopra-directed 1969 murder mystery, Ittefaq, by the year-end. Akki has reportedly allotted a chunk of his dates to Subhash Kapoor's Jolly LLB 2.

Earlier, Vipul had revealed that Sona would be seen in a never-seen-before avatar, was categorical that the film was not a sequel or a continuation of Namastey London, the 2007 romcom featuring Akshay and Katrina Kaif, and admitted that it would take them around six months to wrap up the film.

Vipul chose not to respond to our texts and calls.

BOMBAY TIMES (May 23, 2016)

Upala KBR (DNA; May 18, 2016)


Says a source, “Sonakshi won’t be the only female lead opposite Akshay in NE. While she plays his wife, Aisha plays his love interest. She is very hot on the modelling circuit and her pairing with Akshay is a fresh one whereas, Sonakshi has been paired with the actor five times already.”

Adds the source, “Akshay has introduced many young girls to B-Town before this. He has an eye for fresh talent. Many an actress, including Taapsee Pannu and Tamannaah Bhatia, resurrected their B-Town careers because of him. They had sunk into oblivion here and were doing South movies till he gave them a break again in his films.”

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 3, 2016)

Sonakshi Sinha is on a signing spree. After giving the nod to Abhay Chopra's remake of 1969 murder mystery, Ittefaq, opposite Sidharth Malhotra, the Dabangg actress has now come on board Vipul Shah's Namastey England, opposite Akshay Kumar. The film rolls in August.

"Sonakshi will feature in a never-seen-before avatar. We are currently in the pre-production stage. Let me make it clear that our film is not a sequel or a continuation of Namastey London (the 2007 romcom featuring Akki and Katrina Kaif)," says Vipul who is currently busy with the John Abraham and Sonakshi actioner Force 2, and the Commando sequel, featuring Vidyut Jammwal.

This will be Sonakshi's fifth film as the lead with the Khiladi Kumar after Prabhu Deva's Rowdy Rathore, Shirish Kunder's Joker, Milan Luthria's Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara, and A R Murugadoss's Holiday. She has also done special appearances in OMG! Oh My God and Boss.

"We will be shooting in England, Paris, Switzerland, Brussels and Punjab. It could take us around six months to wrap up the film," informs Vipul.

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; March 31, 2016)

Last December, hitlist had reported about the shoot of Vipul Shah’s Namastey England being pushed back by nearly four months since lead actor Akshay Kumar wanted to take up Rajinikanth’s Robot 2 first. The film, which was earlier slated to roll in April, was put on hold till July. Our sources, however, tell us that it may get delayed further with Akshay keen to work on AR Murugadoss’ Ikka after wrapping up Robot 2.

Says a source, “Akshay has already given his dates for Ikka, so it is unlikely that Namastey England will go on floors as per schedule.” The actor is currently shooting for Robot 2 in New Delhi which will go on for another two-three weeks after which he will take a break and begin shooting for Ikka around May. The film, a remake of Murugadoss’ Tamil superhit Kaththi, will be directed by his associate, Jagan Shakti. “This June, Akshay will take off on his annual month-long family vacation. So, Ikka will take time to be completed. That may delay Vipul’s project eventually,” adds the source.

Murugadoss and Akshay remained unavailable for comment. Vipul, however, denies the buzz, saying, “All I can say is that I am starting the film as planned and I am not aware of any such delay.”

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; December 22, 2015)

Vipul Shah’s next, Namastey England starring Akshay Kumar was slated to roll in April 2016, but if the latest buzz is to be believed, the project has been pushed back by nearly four months. Reason? The star is keen to begin work on Robot 2 featuring Rajinikanth first, claims a source.

“Akshay is excited about working with Rajini sir in Robot 2. So, after wrapping up Neeraj Pandey’s romantic thriller Rustom in the first quarter of 2016, he will work on Robot 2,” says a source. The actor will play a villain in the film.

Namastey England (not a sequel to his 2007 film Namastey London) is currently in the pre-production stage. The film’s director Vipul Shah and the producer remained unavailable for comment, but a source close to the project confirms the buzz, saying, “Yes, he wants to finish shooting for Robot 2 first. As it is, we are still working out the dates of other actors and as soon as that gets sorted, we will go on floors.”

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. 

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; June 14, 2015)