Katrina Kaif partner for Yash Raj film
Katrina Kaif may have lost the chance to be one of Ranbir’s leading ladies Yash Raj Films’ Bachna Ae Haseenon. But she has now been signed to star opposite Neil Nitin Mukesh in Kabeer Khan’s untitled film, which also stars John Abraham in a pivotal role. Without giving away many details about the project, Neil says, “Kabeer made a very unusual film, Kabul Express for Yash Raj earlier. This time he’s going all-out to make a commercial film. I think Katrina and I will make a striking pair.”
All her earlier films are primarily with the 40-plus Salman Khan, Govinda and Akshay Kumar. Now she’s finally working with co-stars nearer to her own age. Laughs Neil, “I wouldn’t know about that. My bonding so far has been with John. I really get along with him. He’s so funny and entertaining. Somehow, he reminds me of Dharamji (Dharmendra) with whom I did my first film Johnny Gaddar. The same towering personality and physique and a heart of gold.”
Isn’t it a disadvantage for Neil to start his career with two arty films like Sriram Raghavan’s Johnny Gaddar and Sudhir Mishra’s Tera Kya Hoga Johnny? “I think the two Johnny films are very different. In mood. Tera Kya… is funny fun, episodic film where me, Soha Ali Khan, Kay Kay Menon and Karan Nath are four characters who meet this child, played by Sikandar. It’s masala of a different kind. It even has an item song by Chitrangada now.” Sure, we can see queues clamouring to get in to see Chitrangada wriggle on the dance floor. “But Freeze is out-and-out commercial, glamorous, glossy and sexy,” Neil brightens up. And no, he isn’t called Johnny in Freeze
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