Saif, Emraan and Abhishek compete to play Ghanchakkar?

After the intense Aamir and No One Killed Jessica, director Rajkumar Gupta is collaborating with UTV Motion Pictures on a third film titled Ghanchakkar. Buzz is that Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi are all in contention for the lead role.

After the intense Aamir (2008) and No One Killed Jessica (2011), director Rajkumar Gupta is collaborating with UTV Motion Pictures on a third film titled Ghanchakkar. “It’s a quirky comedy set in Mumbai and should roll early next year, around February or March,” he says.

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Quirky lead
Unlike his last film that revolved around two strong female protagonists, Meera and Sabrina Lall, played by Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan, Ghanchakkar centres around an eccentric man. Buzz is that Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi are all in contention for the lead role. Gupta refuses to be drawn into a discussion on the subject, saying he should lock the cast in a couple of weeks.

However, a UTV spokesperson confirms the news, saying, “these three actors feature most prominently in our scheme of things”. Gupta insists that it was not a deliberate decision to shift gears, but admits that he’d like to explore different genres. “Unlike No One Killed Jessica that had its muse in the headline-making Jessica Lall murder case, Ghanchakkar is not inspired by a single person, but by the many unbelievable people you come across in life. It’s a fascinating character and everyone loves the script,” he smiles.

Prod him on the chances of him repeating Vidya Balan or Rani Mukerji and he says, “The film has a strong female lead and other significant characters that populate the world around this eccentric guy. I’d love to work with Vidya and Rani again, but to know whether they are in Ghanchakkar, you’ll have to wait and watch.”