Months after director Robbie Grewal wraps up Jewel Thief, Kookie Gulati roped in to helm two songs and revisit a few scenes of Saif and Jaideep’s heist thriller
Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat
What’s a heist thriller without a last-minute twist? In this case, it’s off screen. In late May, Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat had wrapped up Jewel Thief—The Red Sun Chapter, following a 10-day schedule in Budapest and a patchwork shoot in Mumbai. But now, it turns out the shoot is not quite over. mid-day has learnt that the unit will report back to the set to film two songs and re-shoot some scenes. Surprisingly, the new portions will be shot not by director Robbie Grewal, but by Kookie Gulati of The Big Bull (2021) fame.
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From what we’ve heard, the inclusions have been recommended by Siddharth Anand, who has written and produced the crime thriller that sees Khan and Ahlawat’s characters in a battle of wits. Sources tell us that after the Budapest schedule was wrapped up in May-end, Grewal dove headlong into the film’s post-production. “The team completed the patchwork by June. But recently, Siddharth felt that some scenes needed to be revisited to up the heist thriller’s slick feel. He also was of the opinion that two more songs would enhance its appeal. While Robbie felt the existing cut is pacy and slick enough, he understood the producer’s need to make it more appealing to the audience with the new numbers. So, for now, Robbie is focusing on the post-production while Siddharth has roped in Kookie to film the additional parts,” reveals a source.
Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal
Gulati was Anand’s first choice for the job as he has directed over 300 music videos. The source adds, “The first song and a few scenes, featuring Saif and leading lady Nikita Dutta, will be shot in Alibaug this weekend. Sid has briefed Kookie that the sequences, which are being re-shot, need to have more drama and action. Another song will be filmed at Mehboob Studios with the entire cast later this month. The dance track will be choreographed by Shazia Samji and Piyush Bhagat.” Khan, who sports long hair and a beard in the movie, has grown his hair again for the upcoming stint.
When mid-day reached out to Grewal, he said, “We were to shoot [these portions] in August, but it got pushed to November. Since I was already committed to an Amazon show in this [window], I couldn’t do it. Kookie was kind enough to step in and help us out.”