Varun Dhawan poses with fans in Abu Dhabi; Akshay Kumar tipped to join Dishoom cast

John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez and Varun Dhawan, who have been in Abu Dhabi over the past weeks to shoot crucial scenes in their upcoming drama Dishoom, will reportedly be joined on set by Akshay Kumar.

It won't be the first time that Kumar will have teamed up with the director Rohit Dhawan (Varun's brother) and John Abraham – in 2011, they starred together in the hit comedy Desi Boyz.

A source close to Abraham told The National: "John has confirmed that Akshay Kumar will be doing a cameo role in Dishoom."

Twitter is also abuzz with chatter that Kumar will be here to film a few scenes, although talkingmoviez.com claims the shoot, which will last for "a day or two", will take place in Mumbai.

Kumar is no stranger to the emirates. He filmed Baby (directed by Neeraj Pandey) in Abu Dhabi in 2014. A year later, he was in Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah to film his recent box-office success Airlift.

"It's always nice shooting [in the UAE]," Kumar told The National in January during a visit to Dubai to promote Airlift. "Plus, you just can't shoot like this in Mumbai. They won't close a part of the street for you – they'd rather close down the shoot."

This week, the Dishoom team have been filming around town, including at the InterContinental Hotel in Al Bateen, and in the Liwa Desert. Earlier this week, Dhawan has posted pictures of himself with fans on Saadiyat Island. Fans took the opportunity to get close to their idol on Sunday, February 14, Valentine's Day, and Dhawan was pleased.

“These guys came all the way in the desert to wish me for valentines. So blessed. #abudhabi. Enjoying being here, never realised people even knew me here. Every day I’m in for a new surprise,” he posted on Twitter.

The actor has another reason to enjoy his Abu Dhabi stay – it’s also been an opportunity for him to catch up with the family. His father, the filmmaker David Dhawan, is also here, as is Rohit’s wife, Jaanvi Desai.

Next on the cards for Varun is Sajid Nadiadwala production Judwaa 2 – it has just been announced that his father will direct him in the film. Judwaa, which was released 19 years ago, starred Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor and Rambha.

Pre-production is now in full swing after a successful test shoot in Los Angeles, with Hollywood action-coordinator Spiro Razatos, who has previously worked on the Fast and Furious franchise.

The hugely popular Judwaa, which was released 19 years ago, featured Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor and Rambha. The female leads in the sequel have not yet been announced.

One actress who has just been spotted on set here is Rashmi Nigam, setting off speculation about her possible inclusion in the cast of Judwaa 2. Nigam is known for her role in Heroine, the 2012 film starring Kareena Kapoor.

On Tuesday, February 16, Nigam tweeted: “#Dishoom! Lunching in da #company of super fun @daviddhawan_fc n fellow #good-looking #sagittarian @JohnAbrahamCLUB.

artslife@thenational.ae