Deepika Padukone informs that her Shakun Batra directorial opposite Siddhant Chaturvedi rolls in March; the actor opposite Ananya Panday yet to be finalised
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 25, 2020)

Mirror was the first to report (December 7) that Deepika Padukone has signed Shakun Batra’s next directorial, about relationships in the modern world. In the yet-untitled film, the actress is paired alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi, MC Sher to Ranveer Singh’s protagonist Murad in Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy, and the first-time co-stars have several intense romantic scenes in the film. Soon after, it was revealed that the Karan Johar production will also feature Ananya Panday in a pivotal role, however the leading man alongside the actress is yet to be finalised.

Deepika had recently informed Mirror that the film will go on the floors in March. Ask her what made her take up the film after serious characters in Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat and the actress says, “I am a big fan of Shakun’s work. He is beautiful when it comes to dealing with interpersonal relationships. This is a story about two couples and creatively, I was looking forward to doing something in this space.”

A source close to the development reveals that before taking the film on the floors, the cast will attend reading sessions and workshops to get a hang of their characters and to develop a comfort level with each other. “It’s a first-time pairing for the entire ensemble, and the cast will have multiple meetings before kicking off the shoot,” adds the source.

A self-confessed fan of the romcom genre, Deepika is quick to add that it is difficult to slot her upcoming film. “I don’t like to box the films that I do. Shakun’s film is kind of in the Cocktail and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani space but also new in many ways. It belongs to a genre that we haven’t attempted in Indian cinema before,” she says.