SRK’s Fauji 2 canned?

Ok, here’s some bad news for all those who have grown up watching a very raw Shah Rukh Khan in Fauji and were hoping to see the magic of the show being revived – well, Fauji 2 may be canned. SRK’s Red Chillies’ television arm was slated to make the show. And while its debut show Ghar Ki Baat Hai had failed to get the numbers,it was still heartening to know that Fauji was being revived. Apparently, the production house couldn’t acquire the permission of the authorities to shoot the vital scenes at the army training centers and erecting a set resembling a military academy could have turned out to be a costly proposition. Considering the situation, the production house decided to abort their dream. Informs a source, closely associated with the production house, “SRK was very close to this project but now, Fauji 2 is not happening. The unit had gone to Dehradun to shoot some vital sequences of the show at the Indian Military Academy, but they couldn’t acquire the required permission from the government because of the terrorist threat. And the shooting came to a halt. We hear the show is shelved as there is no hope of getting the required nod. Apparently, SRK isn’t too happy with the way things are functioning in the TV department and has allegedly decided to disarm the production house completely. They were actually planning a sequel to Ghar Ki Baat Hai and another show starring Supriya Pathak but the latest development has put a question mark on the two shows.” When contacted, Shruti Ulfat who was to play SRK’s wife on the show said, “Yes, I too have been hearing about this but the production house hasn’t informed us yet. It is absolutely impossible to erect a military academy, moreover such makeshifts don’t look authentic. I am hopeful the show will re-start as we have invested a lot in terms of energy, money and research. We shot for one full month and even SRK shot his sequence.” We also contacted actor Pulkit Samrat, who will essay the coveted role of Abhimanyu Rai, essayed by Shah Rukh about two decades ago, but he said he was busy in a meeting. We also texted Samar Khan of Red Chillies’ Idiot Box but he didn’t revert. However, Bhavna Shrestha, Creative Head, Red Chillies Idiot Box, refuted the rumours and said, “No, the show is not shelved and we are working on the re-commencement of the shoot.” Colonel Kapoor who had conceptualized, directed and acted in the original series however sounded unfazed about the buzz and said, “I too read reports about the show being shelved but the production house hasn’t informed me as yet. I think, it’s such a small news that they didn’t tell me!”