With Salman Khan’s clogged schedules not permitting him to do the Hindi version of the anti-academic Marathi film Shikashanachya Aaicha Gho, Mahesh Manjrekar has turned to another A-lister Akshay Kumar to play the role of the tyrannical father who realizes too late that his son’s mind and heart are meant for cricket, and not for formal education.
Mahesh who’s thick pals with Salman after they worked together in Wanted, Dabangg and Ready, has been patiently waiting for Salman’s nod to do this socially relevant film. Salman has been unable to do the needful despite his best intentions.
Says a source, "Mahesh waited for a whole year. In the meantime Prakash Raj went ahead and released a Telugu version entitled Dhoni of Mahesh’s film. That’s when Mahesh realized he needs to act fast. He is currently shooting with Akshay for Akshay’s own production Oh My God where Mahesh took up the role of a lawyer only so that he could familiarize Akshay with the theme of Shikashanachya Aaicha Gho on the sets.Being the father of a growing boy Akshay is deeply moved by the film’s theme of a child’s heavy burden of books and academia that stunts his natural growth."
Akshay we hear has given his nod to the project.
When contacted Mahesh whose project has been a victim of the wait-and-watch syndrome for nearly two years,was cautious in his enthusiasm. "Yes, Akshay is a possibility. After what that 15-year old boy did to his teacher in Chennai I’ve to do the Hindi version of the film fast. What are the pressures on a child that make him so allergic to school life and teachers? What could’ve provoked that boy to stab his teacher in Chennai? My film is very relevant to the situation that school-going children face. I need Akshay to take the message of a child’s right to exercize his career options and to be freed of peer pressure, to the maximum number of people."
