Neha Dhupia won't star in Phas Gaye Re Obama sequel

The second installment of the critically-acclaimed film Phas Gaye Re Obama (2010) is in the making. But instead of Shubhash Kapoor, who directed the original, debutant Anshul Sharma will helm the untitled sequel. Also, Neha Dhupia will not feature in the sequel.

The second installment of the critically-acclaimed film Phas Gaye Re Obama (2010) is in the making. But instead of Shubhash Kapoor, who directed the original, debutant Anshul Sharma will helm the untitled sequel. Also, Neha Dhupia will not feature in the sequel.

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Confirming the news, producer Ashoke Pandey says, “Without giving away the plot at this early juncture, I would like to say that the story revolves around issues we face in day-to-day life, quite similar to what you have seen before.”

Neha Dhupia

Phas Gaye Re Obama was a satire on how the ripple effect of a recession-hit America was felt in rural India too. The sequel too will be a satire on the similar lines.

The original had Rajat Kapoor, Dhupia, Sanjay Mishra, Manu Rishi and Amole Gupte in the lead roles. The sequel has retained almost all the cast from the original except the lady don played by Neha Dhupia and her hostage, Rajat. “It’s again an ensemble cast,” says Pandey.

Ask him why Neha didn’t find a place in the sequel, and Pandey says, “The story is a little different so you need to have the right kind of artistes playing these roles. I have nothing against Neha, and I really tried fitting her into one of the roles, but it wasn’t possible. So was the case for Rajat too.”

But the film is expected to hit theatres only in summer 2012. “I would love to release it as soon as it’s done. But there are a lot of factors that need to
be considered while releasing a film. So we plan to release it only in summer,” he says.