Samir Karnik: Suniel Shetty stood by me like a rock

Suniel Shetty and Sanjay Dutt

A decade after Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011), Samir Karnik is back with another situational comedy. The filmmaker is set to reunite Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty for his film Doghouse, which is expected to go on floors by mid-2022, depending on the ongoing pandemic.

The film revolves around "everyday characters", and their mishaps lend to a comic narrative. "They get embroiled in a serious issue, [which leads] to funny situations that will have the audience laughing," explains a trade source of the story penned by Karnik. "The makers - [Viacom 18, Shetty, Sujit Jain and Dutt] - are yet to lock a location for the shoot in Mumbai and overseas," he adds.

Samir Karnik

Besides Shetty and Dutt, Doghouse features Saurabh Shukla, Zayed Khan, Jaaved Jaaferi and Esha Gupta in pivotal roles. Crediting the Hera Pheri actor for bringing the brilliant cast on board, Karnik says, "Suniel anna played an important role in putting the project together. He stood by me like a rock and got everyone on board. Anna liked the story and spoke to Sanju sir, who got on board immediately."

He informs that rumours of the film being Punjabi-based are untrue. "It's an out-and-out comedy. Neither is it a Punjabi-based film, nor are Sanju and Suniel playing Punjabis in the film."