Stree director Amar Kaushik breaks silence on rumours of Aneet Padda replacing Kiara Advani in Shakti Shalini

Earlier this year, in January, Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films delighted fans by unveiling its horror-comedy lineup. Among the announced projects, the film "Thamma," starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna, was released in 2025 as scheduled. However, "Shakti Shalini" was postponed to 2026. The official announcement for "Shakti Shalini" accompanied the release of "Thamma," introducing Saiyaara star Aneet Padda as the lead.

This revelation came as a surprise to many online, as rumors had circulated for quite some time following Maddock's initial roster announcement, suggesting that Kiara Advani was the first choice for the role. Subsequently, reports emerged claiming that Aneet had replaced Kiara, who was on maternity leave after the birth of her daughter this year.

Amar Kaushik opens up on Aneet Padda replacing Kiara Advani

Amar Kaushik, the director of Stree, Stree 2, and Bhediya, and a co-creator of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, has now clarified the situation. The filmmaker stated that Aneet Padda did not replace Kiara Advani in Shakti Shalini because Advani was never officially cast in the first place.

In a chat with Filmygyan, Amar stated, Kiara is a beautiful actor. Matlab, aisa kuchh kabhi confirm koi cheez hui nahi thi. Pata nahi kisne, yeh bahar aayi thi, kya tha. Aisa nahi hai. Main humesha se Kiara ke saath kaam karna chahta hun. Jab kahani aap likh rahe hot ho, pehele ek idea hota hai. Fir aap jab kahani likh rahe hote ho toh fir aap dekhte ho kaun kar... character ke liye kaun jaata hai, kaun nahi jaata hai, kya hota hai. Saiyaara aayi thi and then hum log tab bhi process mein hi the writing ke.

When asked if Kiara was ever locked for Shakti Shalini, Amar explained, Nahi, aisa kabhi, aisa kuchh nahi tha ki yeh koi lock hai. Kabhi bhi locked nahi tha. It was always ki aap soch rahe ho ki kya ho raha hai, kaun hoga. Toh matlab, wohi main bol raha hun ki kabhi kabhi sochta hun ki humko kuchh cheezein pata nahi hoti, bahar kisko kya pata hoti hai, wahan se koi ek aadmi leak karta hai.