MUMBAI: After Hera Pheri, Akshay Kumar has dropped out of another franchise. He won’t be seen in the second instalment of the 2002 crime caper Aankhen. Neither would the original director Vipul Shah.
While Akshay Kumar has been replaced in the sequel by John Abraham (the same actor- colleague replaced Akshay in Phir Hera Pheri), Aankhen 2 would be directed by Anees Bazmee, Akshay’s Singh Is King director. Incidentally, Singh Is King was produced by Vipul Shah.
With a chunk of the core team out, Aankhen 2 has gone for a complete change of profile. Akshay Kumar has been replaced by John Abraham and Anil Kapoor has been roped in to do a specially written character.
It must be remembered that all the protagonists in Aankhen were blind. Anil would play a character that can see.
Confirms Anees, “Yes, we’ve specially written in a new character for Anil to play. While John and two other heroes would play blind, Anil won’t play a blind character.”
Anees’ rapport with Anil Kapoor was built during the shooting of Welcome and Welcome Back. “He has the energy level of a 24-year old.
I had to have him in Aankhen 2,” says Anees. The film’s producer Gaurang Doshi is also trying to rope in two top-notch heroines for Aankhen 2.
Not Sushmita Sen and Bipasha Basu who starred in the original Aankhen. As we all know heroines are never repeated in sequels.