Producer Boney Kapoor is a super busy man these days, juggling six projects featuring some of the leading names from the Indian film industry. Five of them are his home productions; one of which is Luv Ranjan’s romcom, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, with Boney Kapoor playing Ranbir’s dad.
“Boney Kapoor’s work diary is full, and he is trying to complete all his projects on time. Four more movies of the filmmaker roll this month, while three resume shooting, and one will begin its first schedule. Among the first ones to resume shoot is the much-anticipated Valimai, starring South mega star Ajith, Huma Qureshi and Kartikeya Gummakonda. The cast and crew of Valimai (written and directed by H Vinoth) will head to Russia around the 19th of this month to shoot some high-octane action sequences. Apparently, Ajith who plays an upright police officer, and the antagonist, played by Kartikeya, will be shooting bike-based stunts. The action is real and stylish and will be performed by the two actors. After the Russian schedule, Valimai will wrap up in the first week of September,” the source said.
Valimai was supposed to be shot in Spain in mid-April, but the location was changed to Russia due to the second Covid wave. “The venue has been shifted from Spain to Russia keeping safety precautions in mind. Valimai is one of the hottest movies in India right now, and Boney intends to complete the five-day schedule as he wants to finalise the release date. Ajith’s first single, Nanga Vera Maari, from the movie, has already crossed over 15 million views on YouTube and has been trending in the top three on social media for more than 10 days,” the source revealed.
Kapoor’s second production to resume shoot will be Amit R Sharma’s biographical sports drama, Maidaan, starring Ajay Devgn as Syed Abdul Rahim -- the former football player, coach and manager of the Indian national football team (1950-1963). He is regarded as the architect of modern Indian football. “The 16-acre set on Madh Island, which got hit by the cyclone in May this year, has been re-constructed, and a week-long shoot will commence from August 20. The set, which had been built last year, had to be erected for the third time, after being demolished twice – once because of the first lockdown in 2020, and now because of the cyclone. Boney has spared no expense for the ambitious sports drama and constructed a huge, multi-crore, makeshift stadium on the ground, to shoot the football matches. Some crucial scenes of the remaining football matches will be shot now. Ajay Devgn, who is currently shooting for Luther: The Edge Of Darkness, will not be a part of this shoot,” the source added.
The Tamil remake of Article 15, directed by Arunraja Kamaraj, marks Kapoor’s third project in the language. The filming, which began in the forests of Pollachi earlier this year (the film being almost 40 per cent complete), will resume from the third week of September on the outskirts of Coimbatore. “Udhayanidhi Stalin reprises Ayushmann Khurrana’s role in the remake. Buzz is, Kapoor will start the Kannada version after the Tamil one is complete. He is in talks with one of the top stars from the Kannada film industry for Ayushmann’s role for the movie,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the shoot of the Tamil remake of Ayushmann’s Badhaai Ho will begin its first schedule on August 21 in Coimbatore. “Titled Veetla Visheshanga, starring RJ Balaji, Aparna Balamurali, Sathyaraj and Urvashi in prominent roles, the movie will see Balaji playing Ayushmann’s role. Balaji, who is also a radio jockey, presenter, comedian, director and cricket commentator, is one of the most popular faces in the Tamil film industry. Apparently, Boney Kapoor is also expected to start work on the Malayalam version of Pink once some of his South projects are complete. The Telugu version of Pink, titled Vakeel Saab (2021), starring Pawan Kalyan, crossed the 100-crore mark during the pandemic, and was one of the biggest blockbusters of the superstar’s career,” the source informed. It is written and co-directed by R Balaji along with NJ Saravanan.
But, Kapoor’s work doesn’t stop here. The producer is taking no break. The source shared, “It is heard that he and Ajith are collaborating again for their third film (after Valimai). Boney, Ajith and Vinoth have earlier worked together on the Tamil version of Pink, called Nerkonda Paarvai (2019). The shooting of the fast-paced action drama is expected to start from October with Pondicherry and Hyderabad as the locations.”
But, for Kapoor, the most important project, from the ones he is producing, is with his daughter, Janhvi. Titled Mili, it is the Hindi remake of the Malayalam movie, Helen. “The film commenced its first schedule at a Mumbai bungalow from August 4 and will shift to Dehradun in September. The plan is to wrap up the movie by mid-October. It’s a proud moment for Boney. It’s his first movie with Janhvi. On one hand he is supervising the production of his daughter’s film, and on the other, shooting for Luv Ranjan’s next in Delhi. Both father and daughter are excited about the project. Interestingly, Mathukutty, who won the National Film Award for Best Debutant Director, and Ranjith Ambady, who won the National Award for Best Make-up Artist, are both part of the film. Ranjith is doing Janhvi’s makeup for an episode in the movie. Boney wants to make sure that no stone remains unturned when it comes to the movie. Next week, Luv’s unit shifts to Mathura and he will remain as connected to Mili as he is now. Right now, he has six projects on hand (including the one he is acting in) and he is clued in on each one from Delhi,” the source said.
