Apart from being top Bollywood actors, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan have almost nothing in common, except producer Ramesh Taurani, it seems. All the three stars are set to team up with the Tips head honcho this year. The producer has signed Akshay for a project that will mark the directorial debut of the hit writer-duo Sajid-Farhad, who have previously written the Golmaal series, Singham (2011), Housefull 2 and Bol Bachchan (both 2012). Their new film is slated to go on the floors in July. “It’s high time Sajid-Farhad got their due. They have come up with a fabulous script this time too,” says Taurani. Next on the producer’s list is a big-budget film starring Salman.

For this movie, the actor will once again be directed by Prabhudheva, who last worked with him on Wanted (2009). “We plan to start the film by the end of this year, but other details are yet to be fleshed out,” says Taurani, adding that he shares a “superb rapport” with all the three actors. That explains why Saif agreed to sign Race 2 even before he had read the script. Saif had said to HT Café, “Ramesh Tauraniji has great story sense. Plus, he is excellent when it comes to production detailing. I really like working with him.”

Ask the Cocktail (2012) actor what his next project with Taurani is and he says, “At the moment, all I can say is that we are working on a few stories. Let’s see which one gets finalised.”

The producer’s next release will be the Shahid Kapoor-Ileana D’Cruz starrer, Phata Poster Nikla Hero. The Rajkumar Santoshi film is currently being shot at Mehboob Studios, Bandra and is nearing completion.