For the love of art: John and Emraan are all praise for one another!

Abraham and Hashmi, who watched the rough cut of their next, Mumbai Saga last week, loved each other’s work, and have apparently requested the makers to retain the rough cut content in the final edit

Amid the nationwide Coronavirus-induced lockdown, TV industry restarted work last month. Bollywood, though, is yet to get back on the sets. Among the first lot of Hindi films that are likely to hit the floors — to complete the pending work on it — is Sanjay Gupta’s Mumbai Saga. But we have learnt that before the cast and crew restart work, something interesting has happened.

Sanjay Gupta’s Mumbai Saga will see John Abraham as a gangster, while Emraan Hashmi is set for a cop avatar

Apparently, the film’s leading men — John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi, watched a rough cut of the film last week. “Makers wanted to have their lead stars take a look at the edited content, and give their inputs, if any. It goes without saying that the actors loved the rough cut. However, makers were quite surprised with their ‘specific’ reaction as well as feedback,” says an insider. 

Abraham and Hashmi, apparently, loved “each other’s performances a lot.” “Not just that, actors have also requested the makers that since the other one’s performance is so good, they should try to retain the rough cut content as it is, without any change. Makers are thrilled with the ‘constructive feedback’ from their leading men, and would keep it in mind during the final edit,” says the insider. 

Gupta’s gangster drama, set in the 1980s and 1990s, will see Abraham play a gangster, while Hashmi dons the part of a cop. This is the first time that the two actors have worked together in a film. Interestingly, it will also see Gupta and Hashmi teaming up for the first time. Hashmi told us earlier, in an interview: “No one would imagine that I am playing a cop but it’s a very entertaining pitch for a character in a pure Sanjay Gupta style.” Gupta couldn’t be reached for a comment.