Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 4, 2018)

Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming historical Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi has been undergoing a lot of changes ever since she took over the reins from director Krish, who had to move on to his next, the NTR biopic. After Zeeshan Ayyub (replaced Sonu Sood), TV actor Taher Shabbir (for new character Sangram Singh) and Saroj Khan (roped in to choreograph a song), Radha Bhatt is the newest addition to the film. The TV actress, who was recently seen as the antagonist in Zee’s daily soap, Zindagi Ki Mahek, has stepped in for Swati Semwal, who was playing the character of Parvati, wife of Maratha Army commander-in-chief Sadhashivrao Bhau. Sadhashivrao was originally played by Sonu, who walked out of the film citing scheduling conflict.

According to a source associated with the film, Edward Sonnenblick, who has previously featured in Kapil Sharma’s Firangi and Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Kangana-starrer Rangoon, has also been brought on board as the antagonist and recently began shooting. “Kangana is impressed with Radha and Edward’s performances. The film’s team was upset with Swati’s decision to leave. They have decided to share the scene she had shot for on social media after the film’s release so the audience can compare it with Radha’s performance,” the source added.

Radha, when contacted, told Mirror, “Yes I have joined the cast of Manikarnika and I feel lucky to be selected for the part. I was scared to shoot with Kangana but she is a lovely person. I had scenes with her and Zeeshan, who is an amazing actor too. Kangana was directing my scenes and explained things so well. I came on board on a short notice and have never played a Maharashtrian character before but Kangana eased out things for me.”

After Sonu Sood walked out of Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming period-drama, actress Swati Semwal who says he was one of the reasons for her to take up the film, is undecided if she will return for ‘patchwork’
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 6, 2018)

It had emerged a few days ago that Sonu Sood backed out of Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi citing unavailability of dates when he was summoned to complete some ‘patchwork’ on the film. The actor had clarified that he has already started shooting for Rohit Shetty’s Simmba and that the makers of Manikarnika were informed well in advance about his schedule. Now, Mirror has learnt that Swati Semwal, who features in the film as the wife of Sonu’s antagonist, Sadashivrao Bhau, has been called back on set as well.

“Around 15 days ago, my team received a call from the makers asking for 10 more days even though I have completed my portions, including the dubbing. When we enquired about it, we were just told that some patchwork remains to be done. I was trying to figure out my dates when I learnt that Sonu had quit and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub will be replacing him. It came as a shock to me as I hadn’t been informed of this development,” informs the actress, adding that she has been asked to allot October 1-10 for the said ‘patchwork’.

Has she been called back to reshoot her portions with Zeeshan? “To be honest, I did the film for three reasons — (Producer) Kamal Jain is a friend, I am a big fan of the film’s director, Krish, whose work I have been following for a long time, and Sonu, who is brilliant actor. Now, with two of the three reasons out of the picture, I must think before taking a decision,” Swati asserts.

When asked about her opinion on Kangana taking over the directorial reins of the film, she says, “I don’t have a problem with an actor, especially someone of her calibre, directing the film. Having said that, my experience with Krish sir was brilliant. Kangana is a fabulous actor, one of the best in the country, and if I get to work with her, I will know what she is like as a director,” Swati signs off.