Karan Johar shelves multi-starrer ‘Takht’?

Since he made the announcement back in August 2018, the world was eagerly awaiting details on Karan Johar’s next directorial venture titled ‘Takht.’ It was said to be a grand period drama and would feature and huge selection of stars such as Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Anil Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar.

However, as per latest reports, Johar has decided to shelve this ambitious project, reports Bollywood Hungama. A source revealed, “There are several reasons why it has happened. To begin with, it’s too costly a film. Its budget is expected to be around Rs. 250-300 crores. Like every other producer, even Karan had to bear losses due to Covid-19. Also, his expensive films like Brahmastra and Liger are already in production or awaiting release, along with his mid-sized ones like Shershaah, Dostana 2, Jug Jugg Jeeyo and Shakun Batra’s next. Adding Takht to this list won’t be a good idea.”

The source added, “Since the very beginning, no studio was on board for the film. It was believed that Fox Star Studios was backing Takht because of its partnership with Dharma. But the fact is that Fox was never on board. Karan tried pitching Takht to other studios but his efforts proved futile.”

“Takht is based on Mughal history. The current political climate is volatile and you never know when things can get ugly. We all saw what happened with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat (2018). Karan felt that there’s no way he can risk taking such a project in such times as a lot of money would then be at stake. As a result, Karan Johar has decided to shelve Takht for now. He might revive the project maybe after a couple of years,” said the source.

The source signed off by saying, “The managers of the actors have been informally told about this decision. Meanwhile, Karan Johar has decided to rope in two of the actors of Takht – Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt – for a love story. It’s a space that Karan is familiar with and moreover, it’s also a safe bet.”

Reaction from the media has been mixed with one expert expressing their disappointment by saying, “Takht looked like a winner. What star cast! Also, it surely would have been a visually spectacular film and something that could have worked big time in cinemas. I hope after a few years, Karan has a rethink and goes ahead with the film.”

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