Goaded by the gruesome incident of a 15-year old student stabbing his teacher in Chennai to death, Mahesh Manjrekar has decided to instantly remake his anti-education Marathi film into Hindi.
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 a different 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 never for formal education.
Mahesh who's thick pals with Salman once they worked together in Wanted, Dabangg and Ready, was patiently looking forward to Salman's nod to do that socially relevant film. Salman have been unable to do the needful despite his best intentions.
Says a source, "Mahesh waited for an entire year. Meanwhile Prakash Raj went ahead and released a Telugu version entitled Dhoni of Mahesh's film. That's when Mahesh realized he must act fast. He's currently shooting with Akshay for Akshay's own production Oh My God where Mahesh took up the role of a lawyer only in order that he could familiarize Akshay with the theme of Shikashanachya Aaicha Gho at the sets. Being the daddy 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 was a victim of the wait-and-watch syndrome for almost two years, was cautious in his enthusiasm. "Yes, Akshay is an opportunity. After what the 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 kid that make him so allergic to college life and teachers? What could've provoked that boy to stab his teacher in Chennai? My film may be very relevant to the placement that school-going children face. I WANT Akshay to take the message of a child's right to select his career option and to be freed of peer pressure, to the utmost choice of people."
