Arjun to replace Akshay in Namastey London sequel: Report
According to reports, Arjun Kapoor will replace Akshay Kumar in Namastey England, a sequel to the 2007 Vipul Shah directed film Namastey London. A source said, "Arjun was keen...but he wanted to make sure that Akshay had no problems about the franchise moving forward without him." Namastey England, like the first film, will reportedly be shot in Punjab and UK.
The fantastic box-office run of Namastey London prompted director Vipul Shah to announce a sequel to his 2007 hit - Namastey England. From the leading lady to the story, Namastey England has been the subject of speculation for a while now. Now, according to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Arjun Kapoor is replacing Akshay Kumar in the sequel.There were rumours of Akshay being unhappy with the script, but the actor had told PTI last year that the script was still being written. Apparently, Akshay is happy with the choice of replacement for him.A source told the publication that Arjun is a fan of the original film, and loved the script of its sequel. "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 insider said.Talking about the similarities with Namastey London, the source added, "The second film too has been scripted in a manner to appeal to expats and has a Punjabi and Brit flavour." Just like Katrina Kaif had a significant role to play in the original, the leading lady of Namastey England will have a meaty role too. "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," the source revealed.