Ali Abbas Zafar Confirms Katrina Kaif as Female Lead in Salman Khan's Bharat, Takes a Dig at Priyanka Chopra in The Process
While the news is exciting, people are still wondering why Priyanka would want to leave a movie, mere days before the shoot.
One of the biggest news of last week was Priyanka Chopra walking out of director Ali Abbas Zafar's ambitious Bharat. The movie would have reunited Priyanka Chopra with her Gunday director, as well as with Salman Khan, with whom she had starred in movies like Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, Salaam-e-Ishq and God Tussi Great Ho. While Priyanka Chopra hadn't given any official reason for her exit, Zafar, in his tweet confirming the exit, hinted at her impending engagement with American actor-singer Nick Jonas.
Ever since Priyanka Chopra walked out of the movie, fans have been speculating as to why would replace her. The most popular options were Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone, with the odds favouring the former. Well, it looks like Salman and Ali want to take no risk and take the tried-n-tested approach by roping in Katrina Kaif for Priyanka's role in Bharat.
A report in Mumbai Mirror confirms this development, through the movie's director himself. Ali Abbas Zafar told the newspaper, "I am extremely excited to work with Katrina and Salman again. We have had exciting collaborations in the past. Katrina got on board in the ‘Nick’ of time for this project." Hmmm....what's with the 'Nick' reference here, if not a subtle dig at Priyanka Chopra? Salman, Katrina and Ali had collaborated for the blockbuster Tiger Zinda Hai, so fans will definitely look forward to seeing them work again.
While the news is exciting, people are still wondering why Priyanka would want to leave a movie, mere days before the shoot. Marriage would never be a reason enough for a usually professional Priyanka to take such a step. Rumours are strife that the actress was not getting the fee she was promised or that she was unhappy with the meatier roles her co-stars in Bharat were getting (hint: Disha Patani). We are still waiting for Priyanka to come out and tell the real truth.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 30, 2018 08:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).