Anurag Basu clarified that he isn’t rewriting or reshooting his upcoming film with Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela post Saiyaara’s success.
While Mohit Suri’s latest release Saiyaara is enjoying a thunderous run at the box office, there have been speculations circulating in the media that Anurag Basu’s yet-to-be-titled musical starring Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela has a similar plot point.
Ahaan Panday, who made his big screen debut with Saiyaara, essayed the role of a troubled musician in the film and it’s already out that Kartik too plays a musician in Anurag’s film.
In a new interaction with Mid-day, Anurag reacted to these reports and said, “Mohit and I are very close. I’m happy for his film’s success. The only similarity in our films is that the male lead is a rockstar, and the story is about his journey.”
Meanwhile, recently, there was also a strong buzz that Basu and his team are reworking on their script post Saiyaara‘s massive success. Insiders claimed that Kartik, the filmmaker and producer Bhushan Kumar felt they needed to up the scale and emotional stakes of their story and wanted to do away with the part where their female lead too struggles with mental illness.
Anurag quashed these rumours and revealed that there was never an Alzheimer’s arc for Sreeleela’s role in his script.
“In my film, the girl doesn’t have dementia or any [other condition]. We are not rewriting or re-shooting. I knew beforehand that the girl has Alzheimer’s [disease] in Saiyaara. So, why would I write the same [plot point] in mine?” the Metro In Dino director stated.
For those wondering how Anurag knew this beforehand, let us tell you that Mohit Suri, in his earlier interview with the same news portal, had shared that he had narrated Saiyaara’s story to Basu as he is very close to him. At that point, Mohit had already wrapped up Saiyaara and Anurag was just starting the shoot of his film.
Kartik-Sreeleela’s film was initially supposed to hit the big screens in Diwali this year. However, its release date has now been pushed to 2026.
Revealing the real reason behind this delay, Basu shared, “We have shot about 40 per cent of the film. In August and September, we plan to shoot another schedule in which Kartik will have a clean-shaven look. He is currently shooting for Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri, in which he has a specific look. The continuity is the problem. He needs to complete that film; after that, by the month-end, we will lock the next schedule.”
For the unversed, Mohit Suri had worked as an assistant to Anurag Basu before he made his directorial debut.
