Just days after the high-profile launch of Aankhen 2, Anees Bazmee's film seems to be running into a legal storm.
The launch party of the Aankhen sequel had stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Regina Cassandra and Arshad Warsi making an appearance alongside the makers on Wednesday, 17 August.
Producer Gaurang Doshi announced that Arjun Rampal, Anil Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz would also be part of the film. In fact, the producers also released a montage video featuring all the artistes, including D'Cruz. Now, reports suggest that the actress is planning to take legal action against the makers for claiming that she will be part of a film that she has not actually signed up for.
This comes as quite the shocker because Amitabh Bachchan himself had confirmed D'Cruz's role in the film at the launch. Asked about D'Cruz's involvement in the film, Bachchan had said, "All the actors in the video shown are a part of the film."
However, recent reports online suggest that the announcement of D'Cruz's involvement in the film was done without her permission. This has left her feeling miffed and likely to resort to legal measures.
The report also quoted a source as saying, "For years now, people have stopped having lavish events to announce films. The only reason to have one is for the producer to rake in money. When a maker announces a film with a big star cast, he can impress investors to part with the moolah."
Reports also quoted D'Cruz's manager as saying: "Ileana is not doing the film."
The Rustom actress tweeted confirmation of the report herself today, saying: 'For all those asking, I have not signed #Aankhen2'
Producer Doshi has been silent on the matter. Regardless, the matter has taken a serious turn and would require inevitable PR management.
Aankhen 2 is being directed by Bazmee and will star Warsi, Anil Kapoor, Bachchan and Southern actress Regina Cassandra. The plan is to release the film during Diwali 2017.