Akshay Kumar has been requested to join the cast of Dostana 2 after Kartik Aryan's exit, to save them from the 'tricky situation' since the movie doesn't have a lead anymore, a source told Hindustan Times.
As quoted by the publication, the source said, “(Filmmaker) Karan Johar has personally requested Akshay to come on board Dostana 2 and help him out, as lots of money has already been invested in the shoot of the film. So, in all likelihood, Akshay will join the cast.”
While there has been no official announcement about the same, the source also added that Karan Johar is ready to make changes to the script sinceit was earlier written for Kartik Aaryan and must be changed to fit Akshay's character.
However, there are reports that no actor has been approached for the role yet. After Kartik's exit from the film, there were speculations of actors like Varun Dhawan, Rajkummar Rao, or Akshay Kumar joining the film instead but a source said to Pinkvilla, "Producer Karan and director Collin haven’t reached out to any actor as yet for Dostana 2. In fact, some are even saying that Varun Dhawan has been approached for the same, but there’s no truth to that. They might reach out to some of these actors later but for now Collin is focusing on fine tuning the script. They will look at casting in some time."
Dharma Productions released a statement on Instagram announcing that Kartik was no longer a part of the project. "Due to professional circumstances, on which we have decided to maintain a dignified silence – we will be recasting Dostana 2, directed by Collin D’Cunha. Please wait for the official announcement soon," the statement read.
Dostana 2 is an upcoming Hindi romcom directed by Collin D'Cunha. It is produced by Dharma Productions and stars Janhvi Kapoor and Laksh Lalwani in leading roles.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)