Mumbai: Priyanka Chopra Jonas has reportedly stepped away from Ritesh Batra’s untitled period drama, the film that was to give her and Saif Ali Khan their first on-screen pairing. A report in Mid-Day, carried by The Times of India, cites a scheduling conflict that could not be resolved before the October 21 start of production.
Dates could not be rearranged
The makers are said to have explored whether the shoot could be moved around Chopra Jonas’s existing commitments. According to the report, those attempts did not produce a workable solution. She was reportedly keen to headline the film and work with both Saif Ali Khan and Batra.
“Priyanka was expected to join the Mumbai shoot. However, she had to bow out of the film,” the report said.
Chopra Jonas remains attached to S. S. Rajamouli’s action-adventure film Varanasi, which is scheduled for a theatrical release on April 7, 2027.
Mumbai shoot moves ahead
Filming began on October 21, and the unit is already shooting Saif Ali Khan’s portions. The production is moving forward on a start-to-finish schedule across several South Mumbai locations. Two actors are being considered for the female lead, but neither has been named publicly. A final decision is expected soon.
The film has no official title, and details about the story and the rest of the cast remain limited.
Why this casting change lands differently
This is not just another date-juggling story. It postpones a first that Hindi film followers have waited to see: Chopra Jonas and Saif Ali Khan have never shared the screen despite long, overlapping careers in the industry.
- The project would have been their first on-screen collaboration.
- Production has already begun, so the replacement must fit into an active shoot.
- The two actors in the running have not been identified, leaving the casting open.
Khan was last seen in the 2026 thriller Haiwaan and played Bhaira in the 2024 Telugu film Devara: Part 1. Batra directs the untitled project.
For now, the schedule is the story. The next test is whether a new lead can be locked, and brought into a production that has already started moving, without losing the film’s rhythm.
Source: The Times of India
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