Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 30, 2019)

On August 25, Salman Khan announced on Twitter that his first film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in 19 years has been postponed, adding, “But I will still see you all on Eid, 2020. Insha-Allah!” The news was subsequently followed by reports that the film, which also featured Alia Bhatt, had been shelved. Soon after, buzz was the filmmaker has approached Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh for the lead part.

Now, while speculations suggest that Bhansali has moved on from Inshallah to another dream project, Gangubai, Kartik Aaryan seems to be adding grist to the rumour mill. Last week, the 28-year-old actor was spotted leaving Bhansali’s suburban office and he is reportedly in the running to play the male lead in the film, which is based on a chapter from Hussain Zaidi’s novel, Mafia Queens of Mumbai. It focuses on Gangubai Kothewali, the matriarch of Kamathipura.

According to reports, SLB has roped in Alia to play the titular character in Gangubai. However, he had initially planned to make the film with Priyanka Chopra. “I love the story, it’s been with me for long and I’m keen to make the film. Priyanka and I are in talks,” he told Mirror (March 20, 2019).

When asked if Bhansali has approached her for Gangubai, Priyanka recently said (September 25), “I haven’t signed a Hindi film yet… I’m a fan of Sanjay Bhansali in whatever he makes, I’ll always be his fan.”