In April 2021, Bhushan Kumar and Pankaj Parashar announced their collaboration on Chaalbaaz in London with Shraddha Kapoor in lead. The film was to feature the actress in the first double role of her career. While speculations were rife on it being a remake of Sridevi’s classic, Chaalbaaz, the makers insisted on it being a fresh comedy with a new set of characters. The prep work was in progress over the last few months; however, we have exclusively learnt that the action comedy has now officially been put on hold.
“Blame the pandemic for it. Right now, there is too much uncertainty about the future of mid-sized films and a lot of projects have gone back to the drawing board. While every stakeholder is excited about Chaalbaaz in London, it’s not financially feasible to commence shoot for the film given the times that we are in. The revenue models from theatrical are varied depending on covid scenario, whereas OTT platforms too won’t offer big amount to a masala film like Chaalbaaz in London,” revealed a source, adding further that after taking all the factors into account, the makers unanimously decided to put the film on backburner.
“It might be revisited once scenario is better as the team has a script in place. Even the music album was locked, with some recreated tracks of Sridevi’s classic,” the source added. The financial constraints aside, casting to was another issue that the makers were facing. “While Shraddha was to spearhead the project, the script required two actors to play her love interest in the film. However, they were unable to find the ideal fit for the same. It’s a culmination of all the factors that has resulted in the film being put on hold,” the source concluded.
Meanwhile, Shraddha Kapoor is currently shooting for Luv Ranjan’s untitled film with Ranbir Kapoor. Soon after, she is expected to start shooting for the Naagin franchise with Nikhil Dwivedi, however one awaits to check on the exact status on that too film. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
