Rajneesh Duggal in the film 'Direct Ishq Ho Gaya' after 'Khatron Ke Khiladi' win

Model-turned-actor Rajneesh Duggal, who has featured in films like 1920: Evil Returns and Dangerous Ishq, is the new Banarasi babu. The winner of Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 5, Duggal is in Varanasi to shoot for a film called Direct Ishq Ho Gaya, in which he plays a Banarasi lad. Sporting a gamcha and a rudrakash bracelet, he portrays a rowdy youngster from the city.
“It is a love triangle where Rajneesh, a student of Banaras Hindu University, falls in love with a small time pop singer, a role essayed by Nidhi Subbaiah (who was earlier seen in films like Oh My God starring Akshay Kumar and Ajab Gazabb Love opposite Jackyy Bagnani). Television actor Arjun Bijlani is playing the role of an event management company owner, who helps the female protagonist achieve her dream of becoming a Bollywood singer and eventually falls for her," reveals the director of the film, Rajiv S Ruia who had earlier directed films like Main Krishna Hoon starring Juhi Chawla, and My Friend Ganesha.
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Truly fascinated with Varanasi, Rajiv wanted to capture the city in his film My Friend Ganesha Part 4. “But things did not work out, though I had done a recce of the city and was captivated by the beauty of Varanasi. So when a script came with a small town backdrop, I immediately suggested we shoot in Varanasi. All the important places of the city like the BHU, the ghats and the lanes will feature in the film,“ he says.
The cast and crew of the film is enamoured by the city too, and everyone heads for sightseeing once the shoot gets over in the evening. “Going for a boat ride, visiting the temples is high on the agenda of everyone, especially Rajneesh. Banarasi paan is quite popular among the entire cast and crew who enjoy it everyday ,“ says Anita Sisodia, line producer.
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