Imtiaz Ali yet to cast for his new film

Refuting recent reports that Rajkummar Rao had replaced Shahid Kapoor in an upcoming film by Imtiaz Ali, a spokesperson for the filmmaker said Imtiaz is yet to finalise a story, let alone the cast.

Imtiaz’s spokesperson said in a press statement, “There have been several rumours about the casting of Imtiaz’s next film. Imtiaz has many stories in his mind and is yet to finalise the one that he wants to make next. So at this point there is no question of casting for it. We’d like to categorically state that no actor has been finalised for his next film as yet. We request you to wait for the official announcement which will be made as and when we are ready.”

Last year, when Jab We Met completed ten years, Shahid and Imtiaz had announced they plan to work on a movie together. However, in March, a Mumbai Mirror report claimed the film was put on back burner. It quoted a source as saying, “The script was a little edgy and even though Shahid loved it, the producers approached were somewhat skeptical about its experimental nature. Shahid and Imtiaz met recently and have decided to keep this film on the backburner for now."

Last week, reports claimed Rajkummar Rao replaced Shahid in the film. A Bollywoodlife report quoted a source as saying, “Imtiaz’s movie is a two-hero project. So earlier, Shahid Kapoor was cast along with Rajkummar Rao. Now that Sasha is not doing the movie at all, Rao has stepped into Kapoor’s role and the hunt for a replacement for Rao’s original role is on. Meanwhile, Imtiaz is also working on the script and the changes it requires after Shahid Kapoor walking out of it and to suit the personality of Rajkummar Rao.”

Shahid and Imtiaz have worked together in their cult hit, Jab We Met that also starred Kareena Kapoor. Riding high on the success of Padmaavat, Shahid is currently working on Batti Gul Meter Chalu and Imtiaz Ali’s recent outing was Shah Rukh Khan-Anushka Sharma-starrer Jab Harry Met Sejal.

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