Mirror was the first to report that producer Aanand L Rai and director Mudassar Aziz are all set to roll with Part 2 of their 2016 romcom, Happy Bhag Jayegi, which featured Abhay Deol, Diana Penty and Ali Fazal in the lead. This time it’s a ‘Happy’ Sonakshi Sinha headlining the cast of the sequel which went on the floors this month. We have now learnt that Punjabi actor-singer Jassie Gill will be making his Bollywood debut as the male lead in Happy Bhag Jayegi Returns. He was in Mumbai last month and posting pictures while working out at a suburban gym.
Aanand’s spokesperson told Mirror, “We are usually associated with quirky and fresh casting in our films as the intent is always to get the right actors and faces who justify the full potential of the role. Sometimes this involves going beyond the convention of region and industry to find the same. Jassie is a perfect choice for the role in Happy Bhag Jayegi Returns and is going to make the sequel even more special. He’s a talenthouse to watch out for.” Jassie made his debut in 2011 with the album Batchmate that got into the hitlist with the song “Chudiyan”. It was followed up by his second album, Batchmate 2 two years later. That was an even bigger hit. He turned actor with Ksshitij Chaudhary’s Punjabi comedy, Mr & Mrs 420, and later went on to feature in Mundeyan Ton Bachke Rahin (2014), Dildariyaan (2015) and more recently Sargi (2017).
A source close to the development informs that Mudassar had loved Jassie’s audition. “He had the perfect vibe for the character and Mudassar immediately finalised him. Jassie will start shooting in Amritsar soon,” adds the source. Since both Sonakshi and Jassie are singers, the makers will also explore the opportunity of them singing in the film which also features Diana Penty.
While speaking to Leading newspaper earlier, Mudassar had said that the essence of the sequel would remain the same. “Besides her runway act, we also refer to the word ‘happy’ as a state of the mind which is not everlasting. I wasn’t thinking of a sequel while making the first film, it was the encouraging feedback from the audience that set the ball rolling,” the filmmaker had said.
The film is currently being shot in Amritsar. A schedule in China will happen later in the year.
as published on The Mirror
