EXCLUSIVE: Akshay Kumar & Mudassar Aziz’s film is remake of THIS Italian movie; Shoot begins in October 2023

Akshay Kumar teams up with Happy Bhag Jayegi director Mudassar Aziz for an out-and-out comedy, adapted from a critically-acclaimed Italian film.

By Rahul Raut

Updated on Jul 19, 2023 | 09:08 PM IST | 472.6K

Akshay Kumar and Mudassar Aziz’s film is remake of THIS Italian movie; shooting begins in October 2023

Akshay Kumar, who kicked off 2023 with Ali Abbas Zafar’s action entertainer, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, has been continuously shooting for multiple projects since. The Khiladi Kumar has been thoroughly focusing on his upcoming lineup, finishing one project after another to treat audiences to a wide range of exciting movies ahead. Akshay has so far finished Dharma Productions’ C. Shankaran Nair biopic with Ananya Pandey and R. Madhavan, and Tinu Suresh Desai’s The Great Indian Rescue. He is currently filming Maddock Films’ aviation thriller, Sky Force. Up next, Akshay will start an out-and-out comedy entertainer, and Pinkvilla has all the major details about it.

Akshay Kumar and Mudassar Aziz's next is a remake of Perfect Strangers

We have exclusively learned that Akshay Kumar will start shooting for Happy Bhag Jayegi and Pati, Patni Aur Woh director Mudassar Aziz’s next comedy flick, tentatively titled Khel Khel Mein, in October 2023. The film is a remake of the critically acclaimed Italian comedy drama Perfect Strangers and is produced by Ashwin Varde and Bhushan Kumar. It features a huge ensemble cast in the lead. “Perfect Strangers was a massive blockbuster and has already been remade in over 20 countries since its release in 2016. Mudassar Aziz has been eager to make an Indian version of it for a long time and has adapted the screenplay in a desi style to suit the sensibilities of Indian audiences. Akshay headlines the narrative, while Taapsee Pannu and Vaani Kapoor have been brought on board to play the leading ladies," a source close to the development told us. The film will be shot in a two-month straight schedule in the UK until the end of November.

Akshay Kumar to star in the remake of Perfect Strangers

Perfect Strangers tells the story of seven long-time friends who gather for dinner and decide to play a game in which all incoming messages and calls will be displayed for the entire group. The revelation of their secrets culminates in disaster, forming the crux of this hilarious story. Akshay has been associated with this project since last year and was earlier supposed to begin shooting in early 2023. However, the production was delayed due to Akshay’s other commitments. The Sooryavanshi star has now allocated his dates from October, and the makers have already kicked off the pre-production for the movie.

After Khel Khel Mein, Akshay Kumar to start Housefull 5

Akshay is expected to follow up the Mudassar Aziz film with Sajid Nadiadwala’s highly-anticipated Housefull 5. The fifth installment of the much-loved comedy movie franchise is scheduled to go on floors around December–January, eyeing a massive Diwali 2024 theatrical release. Additionally, Akshay is apparently set to star in Subhash Kapoor’s Jolly LLB 3 with Arshad Warsi. However, the shooting timelines for that haven’t been locked yet.

On the release front, Akshay has four movies lined up in the next seven months. First, he will be seen in Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam’s OMG 2 on August 11, followed by Tinu Suresh Desai’s The Great Indian Rescue on October 5, and the Soorarai Pottru remake on February 16, 2024. Moreover, Akshay has Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bade Miyan Chote Miyan with Tiger Shroff (Eid 2024), the C. Shankaran Nair biopic, and Sky Force, all set for release next year.

We reached out to the director and producers for a confirmation. However, we are yet to hear back from them.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Akshay Kumar & Mudassar Aziz team up on Khel Khel Mein - A comic entertainer