Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 26, 2018)

Mirror had earlier reported (March 6) that R Madhavan was forced to drop out of the Navdeep Singh directed historical drama after he was injured in the gym. Now, Mirror has learnt that Udta Punjab and Rangoon actor Manav Vij has stepped into his shoes. The film also features Saif Ali Khan.

According to a source close to the development, Madhavan was scheduled to join the unit during the Rajasthan schedule in March. The rest of the cast had already started shooting in Desuri in February. As part of his prep, he started taking horse-riding lessons and training in action when he hurt his shoulder and had to undergo surgery followed by two months bed rest. Now, Manav will be undergoing the same training. Right now, he is working on his get-up.

“Meanwhile, leading lady Zoya Hussain, who made her debut with Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz, is being coached in sidesaddle-riding and is already a pro. The first schedule of the yet-untitled film was wrapped up in Pali. They will be returning to Rajasthan and are expected to be shooting in Bhilwara and Udaipur, followed by long schedules in Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai. Deepak Dobriyal will also be joining the cast in an important role,” adds the source.

The Saif and Madhavan onscreen reunion had created a lot of buzz as they were coming together 17 years after Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein.

Madhavan was also forced to step out of Rohit Shetty’s Simmba due to his injury. The actor recently tweeted, “Hey folks. So I am a huge crazy fan of Rohit Shetty and his films. As is my son. It breaks both our hearts that I’m not able to be a part of this film because of my injury. I’m well on my way to recovery but this is a huge opportunity and excitement lost.”