Exclusive: Has Ajay Devgn OPTED OUT of Luv Ranjan’s next for Neeraj Pandey’s CHANAKYA?

By Upala KBR -

October 6, 2019 - 10:30 AM IST

Apparently, Luv Ranjan’s untitled action-drama-thriller, starring Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, may have to be on hold further. While there have been reports of the film being shelved, none of the actors, nor the director himself, has officially denied them. But sources close to the movie have said they are untrue. We have now heard that while the movie will begin shoot with Ranbir from March 2020, Ajay himself may not be a part of the movie.

Exclusive: Has Ajay Devgn OPTED OUT of Luv Ranjan’s next for Neeraj Pandey’s CHANAKYA?

Says a trade source, “An official announcement of Luv’s next is yet to come after it was announced (with Ajay and Ranbir heading the cast) last year in May. It is yet to take off as it has been in the scripting stages for over a year and Ajay cannot hold onto his dates anymore. Luv’s movie was said to roll by the end of the year but has apparently been delayed again. He may start shoot with Ranbir (after he completes the shoots for Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra and Karan Malhotra’s Shamshera) by March next year. Buzz is that apart from date issues, Ajay is not happy with the script and has opted out of Luv’s movie. The superstar is more excited about Neeraj Pandey’s modern-day, socio-political drama, which Neeraj recently narrated to him. Ajay plays a shrewd political strategist and global jetsetter, someone who is known as a modern-day Chanakya in it and loved the script. While in Luv’s action-drama-thriller based in the heartlands of India, apparently, Ranbir plays the main protagonist and Ajay an older man.”

According to the source, the story is said to revolve around the relationship between the older man’s second wife and his son-turned-foe. “Naturally, Deepika and Ranbir will play the main lead – and Ajay may play something like Pankaj Kapoor’s character in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool. While it’s an interesting and challenging role (one which had earned Pankaj many accolades), and has lots of stylized action, it’s not the central character like Neeraj’s movie would have Ajay playing. The movie will provide deep insights into the art of running a country and has the star playing an extremely challenging role with multiple shades. The project is being kept under wraps till the shooting starts from December this year in Dubai and will be a marathon schedule. The Chanakya team wants to release the film by early next year and Ajay has said in an interview that Chanakya will be made in two parts so Ajay’s dates will be blocked for the months that Luv plans to shoot his movie.”

The source adds that reports of Luv’s movie being shelved due to script issues have been there for some time but Ajay had denied it earlier this year, saying it would go on floors in 2020. “Luv Ranjan’s film was originally scheduled to begin in 2018, was pushed to April 2019 and now, it has been pushed to mid-2020, going by reports in media, as the final draft is being finalised. The untitled big budget entertainer will have some high-octane stunts and will be shot in India and abroad. Ajay has a hectic schedule this year and in 2020, which includes completing the shoot of Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Dudhaiya’s Bhuj: The Pride Of India, Om Raut’s Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and an exciting extended cameo in S Rajamouli's RRR which stars Jr NTR and Ram Charan in the lead roles. It now remains to be seen whether Ajay has chosen Chanakya over Luv’s movie but definitely, his role in Chanakya is one any actor would be thrilled to have in his repertoire!”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Here’s WHEN the TRAILER of Ajay Devgn’s grand period drama, Tanhaji – The Unsung Warrior, will RELEASE!