03 November,2016 04:00 PM IST | | Mohar Basu
Apparently, the producers are still renegotiating with 'Fukrey 2' male leads — Pulkit Samrat, Ali Fazal, Manjot Singh and Varun Sharma on remuneration even as the film is set to roll a fortnight later
Richa Chadha, who played Bholi Punjaban
The 2013 comedy, 'Fukrey', had ended with Bholi Punjaban (Richa Chadha) landing up in jail following a well thought of ploy by the four boys - Pulkit Samrat, Ali Fazal, Manjot Singh and Varun Sharma. In the sequel, said to be a funny revenge saga, Bholi returns from prison and won't spare the men who duped her. Going by the story itself, the spotlight this time round is on Richa, and that doesn't seem to have gone down well with the other actors.
Word from the corridors of Excel Studios is that the four male leads are still renegotiating their remuneration even as the film is set to roll a fortnight later. The boys aren't too happy that a female actor has been handed a better deal in what is a quintessentially bromantic film.
A unit hand informs, "Payment to talent is based on their market value and their role in a film. Since Richa has a big part to play, she has been offered a lump sum amount. She has signed the contract and started prepping, which involves losing a lot of weight."
Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh, Varun Sharma and Ali Fazal in a still from Fukrey
Ali had green-lighted the movie before his Hollywood film, Victoria and Abdul, was announced. He returns to India on November 11 and is yet to sign the contract, we hear. Pulkit, who apparently was the most commercially viable actor of the lot till last year, has suffered a setback after his last outing, Junooniyat, didn't fare as expected, adds the unit member.
"Manjot, too, had a bit role in Azhar, which bombed at the box office. Though Varun last did Dilwale, Fukrey will help revive his mojo. None of them intends to back out of the project, but they are all yet to sign on the dotted line. They're talking money and aren't happy with Richa being paid more."
While Varun refused to comment, Ali's spokesperson reasons that since he has been out of India since August, he will sign the contract once he is back. Pulkit's spokesperson maintains, "He has signed the contract and will start shooting in mid-November."
The team takes off to Delhi on November 17 and the film's first schedule begins on November 19. Ali is expected to join the shoot three days later. An Excel insider, on the condition of anonymity, quips, "Arguments over payment are commonplace. These are minor hitches that eventually become irrelevant in the long run."
