While Sanjay Leela Bhansali etched a pure love story, Salman Khan wanted a proper potboiler, leading to the project being binned
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 27, 2019)

The week started on a shocking note for Salman Khan fans. While the superstar announced on Sunday night that his Eid 2020 offering will not be Inshallah but another film, Monday morning saw Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s studio reveal that the team was not going ahead with the love story "for now". A shame since the Alia Bhatt starrer, was to mark the reunion of Khan and Bhansali — a seal of sorts, if you may, to announce to the world that their feud was a thing of the past. Ironically though, In-shaa-Allah was not meant to be. The film has been shelved owing to creative differences between Bhansali and Khan.

A source close to the project tells mid-day, "Salman wanted to change the fabric of the film. While he was happy with the first hour of the story, he had requested Bhansali to rework the rest of the script, especially the climax. Even as the production team set up the first day’s shoot, the two couldn’t agree on the narrative. Bhansali wanted it to be a love story, and Salman could only envision it as a typical Eid potboiler, in which romance is one of the elements. Bhansali respects his actors, and their suggestions are welcome, but not if they aim to alter the narrative. Hence, he took the decision to shelve the film."

Khan has promised his fans that his Eid date with them remains unaffected, leading to speculation that he will fasttrack Kick 2 to meet the deadline. So what happens to In-shaa-Allah? Dismissing rumours that Bhansali’s other favourite — Shah Rukh Khan — might step in to save the day, the source reveals, "Bhansali might turn his focus to Izhaar, a romantic film that he has been discussing with Shah Rukh for a while. The film will be mounted only by November and is not eyeing the Eid 2020 release."

Which leaves us with the big question — what happens to the friends-turned-foes-turned-friends Khan and Bhansali? "Not even a makkhi will go to the cinemas to watch that film," Khan had said about Guzaarish (2010) after their last public fall out. Should we expect more of such jibes?

Akshay Books Eid Date
Even as fans and industry insiders were reeling under the latest turn of events, Akshay Kumar wasted no time in booking the Eid 2020 window for his film, Laxmmi Bomb. While the Kiara Advani starrer was to hit the marquee on May 22, it will now enjoy a festival release. With this, the stage is set for a clash of the titans — Salman Khan has made it evident that he will not miss his date with the audience on Eid 2020.