There has been a lot of chatter around actor Alia Bhatt being the top choice for Gurinder Chadha’s upcoming musical about an Indian princess. Now, the filmmaker has responded to the speculation and set the record straight. 

On Saturday, the Bend It Like Beckham (2002) director tweeted in reaction to a new report with the headline, “Alia Bhatt to star in Gurinder Chadha’s next, backed by Disney?”

The filmmaker used Caps lock to catch the attention of her X followers and tweeted alongside the article, “This is not true. I’m not sure where this started. The script is still in the works. Alia and I had a meeting about another project, and I attended her charity gala recently.”

The Bride and Prejudice (2004) maker has been signed on by the international studio to helm an original musical around an Indian princess. A recent report by Mid-Day claimed that Bhatt was in discussions with Chadha for the film, stating that they met in January this year. “The two (Alia and Gurinder) have been in talks for a while. The final casting will happen only after the script is developed, but Alia is among the top casting choices,” the report quoted a source as saying. 

The rumours further intensified when Chadha attended the Hope Gala in London, which was hosted by Bhatt, last month.