Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; May 20, 2015)

Kangana Ranaut was reportedly to play the lead in Sujoy Ghosh’s next film, which is an adaptation of the Japanese novel, The Devotion Of Suspect X, but if the latest buzz is to be believed the actress is no longer a part of the project. Apparently Kangana was never signed for the film opposite Saif Ali Khan. “It’s true that Kangana was approached for the film and later finalised, but due to uncertain reasons she walked out of the project,” says a source.

“Also, there were a lot of issues relating to the budget and casting of the film. A while ago, Sujoy’s presence at a leading production house’s office further fuelled speculations around the budget issues,” adds the source. It is known that Balaji Motion Pictures has the rights for the romantic thriller, which is based on Japanese author Keigo Higashino’s book.

Kangana says, “I’m not sure if I can walk out of a project I am not committed to. I haven’t signed a contract and there’s no commitment made from my side. I have some projects lined up, but I don’t know the order in which they will be shot. Also, after these challenging and busy few months I need a major break. So I’ll take a month or two off.” While Sujoy says, “You need to speak to Balaji. They are the right people.”

The producers of the film, Balaji Motion Pictures, did not respond to our text messages.