Rajkummar Rao might not be the first name to spring to mind when you think of a replacement for Dharmendra, but it might soon happen. Reports suggest the actor has been roped in to play the role immortalized by Hindi cinema's he-man in the remake of the iconic Hrishikesh Mukherjee comedy Chupke Chupke (1975).
The Mumbai Mirror news tabloid quoted a source as saying, "Chupke Chupke is an iconic film and a favourite of many, including Rajkummar. He loved the idea of a remake and has agreed to come on board. It will have Raj in dual avatars. The script is still being finalized while the director and the rest of the cast are yet to be locked, but the team is really excited about this one."
Rajkummar Rao is currently awaiting the release of Mental Hai Kya, where he features opposite Kangana Ranaut. The film is set to be released on 21 June. In addition, the actor will be seen in Made In China, the horror comedy Rooh Afza, and Turram Khan this year.
Chupke Chupke was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and proved to be one of his biggest hits. The film famously proved to be a success in the same year as the blockbusters Sholay (1975) and Deewar (1975). The film saw Dharmendra play the role of professor Parimal Tripathi, who takes on the role of a chauffeur to play a prank on his stickler-for-shuddh-Hindi brother-in-law played by Om Prakash.
The film is reportedly being taken over by Bhushan Kumar of T-Series and Luv Ranjan (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, 2018). It is not known if Luv Ranjan will also direct the film or just be involved in the production.
There were earlier reports of a remake of Mukherjee's comedy classic with Umesh Shukla reported to be interested back in 2015. However, the film never materialized.
The purported makers themselves have not offered any confirmation of the report yet.