Mumbai: Filmmaker Pankaj Parashar had, in 2021, announced the remake of Sridevi’s iconic film ‘Chaalbaaz’ with Shraddha Kapoor in the lead.
After the upcoming film’s title was announced as ‘Chaalbaaz’, Sridevi’s daughter Janhvi Kapoor replaced Shraddha for the main role, as per a report in Bollywood Hungama.
“For Janhvi, Chaalbaaz is a lot more than just a film. It’s an emotion. She has jumped onto the chance of playing the lead role in Chaalbaaz, but is treading this with utmost caution. She is taking opinions from people around for the Chaalbaaz remake. She is excited, but is also wary of all the comparisons. She is expected to take a call on the Chaalbaaz remake by the end of September,” a source was quoted as saying by Bollywood Hungama.
However, as soon as the news went viral, netizens expressed their dissent over Janhvi’s casting in the film.
Some fans even suggested that actress Sanya Malhotra will “fit the bill perfectly.”
One user posted: “RUMOUR: A remake of Chaalbaaz is in development, with Janhvi Kapoor being considered for the lead role.”
A Reddit user shared wrote, “Why is she getting movies even though all her previous films flopped?”
Another netizen asked, “How many movies do we have to suffer until Janhvi shows mercy on us and quits acting? She doesn’t know an ounce of acting. Please don’t ruin it.”
“At this point, her manager needs to be fired. You need to understand the artist’s limitations and advise them accordingly. I promise you this is one of those roles which would be cancelled if Janhvi says no. Absolutely no need to do this,” read one comment.
“No, take Sanya Malhotra, please,” pleaded one Redditor, while another felt, “Sanya Malhotra will it the bill perfectly.”
“Actually, I don’t think any actress today has that kind of comic timing. The last person after Sridevi who had that was Juhi,” said a fan.
“Wasn’t Shraddha Kapoor doing Chaalbaaz in London?” posed one user.
“Why Jahnvi Kapoor? Wasn’t this movie supposed to be made with Shraddha Kapoor in the lead role?” asked another person.
“It won’t work in today’s time. It needs to have an epic level of fun like Neeraj Vora’s movies to carry what Sridevi achieved,” said another fan.
“Next, she will do the Sadma remake,” read another comment.
Announcing the film in 2021, T-Series posted, “We’re so glad to announce that the gorgeous Shraddha Kapoor will be starring in our next film, Chaalbaaz in London! Directed by Pankaj Parashar and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ahmed Khan and Shaira Khan. #ChaalbaazInLondon.”
The following year, India Today quoted a source as saying, “The makers had announced the project with Shraddha Kapoor. However, due to the postponement of the film, her dates are not available for next year. The filmmakers are now keen to cast Janhvi Kapoor for the role. They have approached the young actress for Chaalbaaz in London.”
Last year in December, Pankaj, while talking about why Shraddha wasn’t a part of the film, told Siddharth Kannan, “We were writing the script and somewhere there was some hesitancy in matching that.”
Pankaj added that the “script didn’t come to that stage.”
Directed by Pankaj Parashar and written by Rajesh Mazumdar and Kamlesh Pandey, the 1989 film ‘Chaalbaaz’ also starred Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth.