It was an unlikely choice for a big screen debut, but Tere Bin Laden not only did well at the box office, it also launched the film career of our very own Ali Zafar, that too, in Bollywood. The off-beat comedy, directed by Abhishek Sharma, had Ali play a down-on-his-luck TV reporter who uses an Osama Bin Laden lookalike to fake his way to the land of his dreams, America. The film intelligently spoofed the US’s obsession with OBL and the war on terror, and proved to be the perfect showcase for Ali’s boy-next-door charm and his knack for comedy.
Hence, the recently released poster for the 2010 film’s upcoming sequel, Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive, came as a bit of a shock for fans of Ali Zafar. While the poster shows only Osama Bin Laden’s doppelgänger sitting astride a rocket and holding a newspaper with a blaring headline that reads “Bin Laden Dead”, the starring credits in the cast have been given to television-host-turned actor Manish Paul, with no mention of Ali’s name.
The media has been speculating about the Pakistani actor being “replaced” by Paul but when Instep got in touch with Ali, he assured us that things were being blown out of proportion.
According to the star, whose last Bollywood production was the big banner Yash Raj crime caper Kill Dill, opposite Parineeti Chopra and Ranveer Singh, the plan had always been to cast someone other than him in the lead role, which he couldn’t commit to because of his various other assignments, both in India and Pakistan.
“I chose to do a special song and cameo role for this film due to my assignments at the time. We all collectively agreed that it would be more fun to do that part, which you’ll agree with once you watch the film,” he revealed.
As for speculations regarding a fall-out with the filmmakers that led to Paul’s inclusion in the cast, Ali says the rumour couldn’t be further from the truth. “I’m very excited for the entire team of TBL 2 because they were the first team I worked with and they not only opened doors for me but also for many projects to follow and for people going there and working [in India].”
Ali, meanwhile, has enough on his plate to keep him busy. After impressing fans on both sides of the border (including Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan) with his runaway hit from Coke Studio’s latest season Rockstar, the musician/actor has been actively performing live across the country. Then there’s Deosai, Ali’s home production, which he’s not only starring in but producing as well. The actor has undergone a dramatic physical transformation for the role, and has been looking quite buff of late. Deosai will be an action thriller shot in Pakistan’s majestic Northern area and is currently under production.
Meanwhile, Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive is set for a February 2016 release and promises to feature Ali in a fun cameo. We’re looking forward to our favourite star in a film whose premise doesn’t seem all that funny anymore.
Courtesy: InStep Today (The News)
