Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 18, 2018)

Mirror had earlier reported (September 9, 2017) that Farhan Akhtar was on-board Ajay Devgn’s next production, a Hindi remake of National Award-winning Tamil comedy-thriller Jigarthanda, alongside Sanjay Dutt. The actor had confirmed the news, saying, “I met Nishikant (Kamat, director of the remake) and he took me through the journey of the film. It’s a big action-comedydrama, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s something new for me. I liked his last film, Drishyam, and I’ve known Sanju for a really long time. Interestingly, we have similar taste in music, but we’ve never discussed working together. Sanju’s a great chap. I can never base the decision of doing a film on whether it is just about me or not.”

While Sanjay Dutt has stepped into the role of a gangster, Farhan was roped in to play the struggling filmmaker, both parts portrayed in the original by Bobby Sinha and Siddharth respectively. Now, we have learnt that Farhan has opted out of the project, which has been subsequently put on hold for want of replacement. It was initially scheduled to go on the floors by January or March. A source close to the development reveals, “The deal with Farhan did not work out due to several logistical differences between the actor and the filmmakers. The team is now looking for another actor to step into the role of a struggling filmmaker who sets out to make a documentary on a ruthless gangster.”