Mumbai: Nearly two decades after the release of the 2007 comedy ‘Heyy Babyy’, the popular film is officially getting a sequel.
Producer Sajid Nadiadwala has announced ‘Heyy Babyy 2’, bringing the franchise back into the spotlight.
On Thursday, Nadiadwala hosted New South Wales Premier Chris Minns at his Mumbai office, where he announced a three-film deal to shoot his upcoming productions in Australia.
Among the projects is ‘Heyy Babyy 2’, which will return to Australia, where the original film was also shot.
The sequel will mark the franchise’s return to the country nearly two decades after the first instalment.
The announcement comes as part of a collaboration between Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Australia through Sydney-based TEMPLE. Under the partnership, the production house will take three of its upcoming films to Australia for shooting.
Recalling the experience of filming Heyy Babyy in Australia, Nadiadwala said in a statement, “Australia is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also an incredibly film-friendly country with a highly professional, efficient and welcoming environment for filmmakers. From our directors to EP, we all had a fantastic time shooting there, and the support and warmth extended to our team made the entire process truly memorable.”
He added that it was a pleasure to return to Australia and shoot three more films in the country.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said in a statement, “Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment is one of the great names in Indian cinema, so having them choose Australia for three upcoming films is a big vote of confidence in our screen industry. They’ve had a long relationship with Australia, including filming the original Heyy Babyy here almost 20 years ago, and we’re really pleased they want to come back.”
The Premier visited Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment during his India tour, held from August 31 to September 3.
Australian filmmaker Anupam Sharma said, “Mr Sajid Nadiadwala and his crew not only brought the biggest ensemble of stars to NSW ever, but they also left the fondest memories with their professionalism and respect for the Australian way of working.”
‘Heyy Babyy’ was produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Sajid Khan. The comedy film featured Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Vidya Balan, Juanna Sanghvi and Boman Irani in key roles.
The film’s storyline bears similarities to the Malayalam film Thoovalsparsham (1990) and the American comedy Three Men and a Baby (1987), which itself was adapted from the French film Three Men and a Cradle (1985).
While ‘Heyy Babyy 2’ has now been announced, Nadiadwala is yet to reveal whether the original cast or director will return for the sequel.