Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; December 31, 2018)

It was early 2018 when director Remo D’Souza revealed to BT about his ambitious plan of making a 4D dance film with Katrina Kaif and Varun Dhawan. After choreographing Katrina in various dance numbers, this would have been Remo’s first chance to direct her in a film. They had been discussing the probability of working together ever since ABCD 2, which released in 2015. A few days ago, Katrina issued an official announcement that she would have to opt out of Remo’s film citing unavailability of dates as the primary reason. When BT spoke to Remo about her exit, he explained, “There’s really no conflict with Katrina. I would have really loved to direct her, but she had genuine date issues that cropped up. She had to divert all her attention to Bharat. I was excitedly looking forward to directing Varun and her together in a film. It was a dream cast for me, but sometimes, difficult decisions have to be made; it’s a professional hazard and you can’t hold it against anyone.”

Varun, who continues to be a part of the project, had recently appeared on a Karan Johar’s chat show with Katrina, where the two actors displayed their cool camaraderie. Also, the actress was seen on Remo’s dance show while promoting her recent release, all of which had heightened expectations from what the trio would deliver in their film together.

It is believed that the film’s makers have now opened conversations with several actresses for the part and at this point, they don’t want to reveal the names. When we asked who possibly could be cast in the leading lady’s part, Remo told us, “We haven’t found someone to fit the role just yet. You know, Katrina is a brilliant dancer and we’re working towards finalising our cast. We’ll make an announcement in a day or two.”