Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan unwell, Vishal Bhardwaj postpones film on Sapna Didi
Deepika Padukone is struggling with a back problem while Irrfan Khan is down with jaundice. Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has decided to postpone his film on mafia queen Sapna Didi for a few months.
Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, who was scheduled to begin the shooting of his upcoming film with Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan, has postponed the film owing to ill health of the lead stars.
In a long Facebook post, Vishal announced his decision, informing fans that Irrfan is down with fever while Deepika is struggling with her backache. “I am pushing back the film by a few months as both of my lead actors are down with different health problems. Irrfan is down with jaundice and it will take him a few weeks to recover and Deepika Padukone’s back problem which had previously developed during the shooting of Padmaavat has now resurfaced. Her role in the film is very physically demanding and the doctor has advised her not to do any strenuous work for a couple of months,” the director wrote.
He also wrote about his preparations for the film that will be based on Mumbai’s mafia queen Sapna Didi aka Rahima Khan. “In the past few weeks, I felt like I was back in the days of Maqbool while prepping with them. Deepika and Irrfan’s look tests have come out exceptionally well, nothing like you’ve seen before, and it took me a moment to recognize them when I saw the test photographs. I want both of them to be strong and fit before we start the film.”
While Deepika’s character is based on Sapna Didi, Vishal clarified that the film will not be a biopic: “I would also like to clear that the film is still untitled and is not based on Rahima Khan/Sapna Didi’s life. Yes, it’s a take off from the story Femme Fatale from Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai but as we worked on this idea, the story and screenplay have taken on a new identity and shape which is nowhere close to the above-mentioned names. Hence, it’s definitely not a biopic.”
Vishal has earlier worked with Irrfan in films like Maqbool and Saat Khoon Maaf, but the upcoming project will be Deepika’s first with the director. Deepika and Irrfan worked together in the critically acclaimed Piku.
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