Feb 26, 2026 11:00am IST
Lakshya-Vikrant Massey’s ‘Dostana 2’ Finds Its Female Lead In a Former Miss India World (EXCLUSIVE)
Dharma Productions' “Dostana 2” has found its leading lady. Variety India has exclusively learned that former Miss India World, Sini Shetty, has been finalized as the female lead in the romantic comedy starring Lakshya and Vikrant Massey.
Crowned Miss India World in 2022, Shetty will make her acting debut with this project. Born in Mumbai with roots in Karnataka, the model and beauty queen holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance and is also a trained Bharatnatyam dancer. Acting has long been an aspiration, and she is excited to get into movies with such a high-profile project under one of Hindi cinema's most influential banners.
Sources say the makers were contemplating three names before zeroing in on Shetty. Interestingly, the female lead of the original “Dostana,” Priyanka Chopra, was also a Miss India World pageant winner, and with the sequel, they seem to be continuing that tradition by casting another beauty queen as the leading lady. Shetty is believed to have also signed another small-budget thriller film, though details of that remain under wraps.
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Karan Johar's digital content company, Dharmatic Entertainment, is reviving this project as a Prime Video feature film, with “Laal Singh Chadha” fame Advait Chandan attached to direct. In 2019, the film was happening with Kartik Aaryan, Lakshya, and Janhvi Kapoor; however, it was abruptly shelved after Kartik backed out of the film despite completing nearly 20 days of shooting. This led to a fallout between Kartik and Karan Johar, which was reconciled only last year when they collaborated on “Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri."
“Dostana 2” is currently being rewritten, with the script undergoing substantial revisions again after an earlier draft was deemed too similar to another film. Lakshya remains attached to headlining the revamped version, while Vikrant has come on board to take on the role originally intended for Kartik. Shetty replaces Janhvi as the female lead. The “Dostana” sequel is said to be centered on two siblings falling for the same guy, setting the stage for a fun-filled ride of romance and comedy of errors filled with quirky situations.
Amazon Prime Video is believed to have committed a substantial budget for its production despite featuring two relatively fresh faces. The film is proposed to be shot on a large scale, though its shooting has been delayed to the third quarter of this year due to script revisions.
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