Gurinder Chadha breaks silence on Alia Bhatt playing Indian princess in her Disney film: 'We had a meeting about...'
Gurinder Chadha is setting the record straight about her upcoming Disney musical. Here's what she said about Alia Bhatt being cast as the lead.
After recent buzz around Alia Bhatt being the top choice for Gurinder Chadha’s Disney musical about an Indian princess, the filmmaker has responded to the speculation. On Saturday, the Bend It Like Beckham director tweeted in reaction to a new report with the headline – Alia Bhatt to star in Gurinder Chadha’s next, backed by Disney? Also read: Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha to direct Disney original based on Indian princess
Gurinder Chadha's reaction
The filmmaker used cap locks to catch the attention of her X followers, and tweeted alongside the article, “This is not true. 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.”
Here's what happened
Gurinder, known for Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Bride and Prejudice (2004), has been signed on by Disney to helm an original musical revolving around an Indian princess.
As per a recent report by Mid-Day, Alia was in discussions with Gurinder Chadha to star in the Disney film. The report said Alia and Gurinder met in January this year, when the filmmaker visited India to attend actor Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan’s wedding with Nupur Shikhare.
A source told the portal, “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 source added, “After playing a singer in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama and an undercover agent in Shiv Rawail’s movie, a Disney princess will be a great addition to Alia’s repertoire. Leading the big-budget international project will also be a step forward towards making her presence felt in Hollywood after Heart of Stone. If things fall in place, she will kick off work with Gurinder in the second half of 2025.”
The rumours intensified further when Gurinder attended the actor’s Hope Gala in London last month. Alia also posed with Gurinder on the red carpet.
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