Citing date issue as reason behind Kapur opting out of his next, director Mohit Suri quashes rumours of fallout with his blue-eyed boy
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 21, 2018)

After suffering a spate of debacles in the past three years, it was speculated that Aditya Roy Kapur would be back in the game with Mohit Suri's next. So, it was surprising when rumours suggested that that the two had had a fallout with Kapur walking out of his mentor's project. However, sources close to the duo assure that all is well between the two.

Rubbishing claims of creative disagreements driving a wedge between them, a source in the know reveals that the actor has bowed out of the film due to date problems. "There has been talk of Aditya being upset over Mohit turning it into a two-hero film. But truth is, it was always meant to be an ensemble film with an emphasis on Aditya's character. While he was happy with the script, they were going back and forth on the dates as Mohit wasn't finished with the casting process."

The source adds that while the actor was waiting for Suri to give shape to his project, Karan Johar's production Kalank came his way. "When Aditya bagged Kalank, he told Mohit that he wanted to focus single-mindedly on it. So, it made sense for him to opt out of Mohit's film."

Laughing at the rumours of their friendship gone sour, Suri says his equation with the Aashiqui 2 actor goes well beyond work. "I was in talks with Aditya. But I am yet to cast two male actors and one female actor for the principal cast. That will take a while. There's no point keeping him from other films. I might as well let him do Kalank. But there's no fallout," he says.

Currently scouting for the film's leading lady, the director hopes to roll the romantic thriller later this year. Evidently fond of Kapur, he is optimistic that should his protégé be done with Johar's multi-starrer by then, they may reunite for the project. "If the dates work out, who knows, we might even do this one together," he smiles.