This time last year, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap was celebrating the success of his home production Udaan.
Exactly a year later, however, Kashyap's flight of fancy has been cut short. Bombay Velvet, his dream project and clearly his most ambitious film till date that was supposed to star Aamir Khan, will now be made without the superstar.
Sadly, after a year long wait, the filmmaker has given up on the one face that would have been the strongest selling point of the film.
"I am going ahead with Bombay Velvet without Aamir. He is a very busy man and I have waited long enough. I don't even know if he wants to do the film," says the director.
Interestingly, it was Anurag himself who had once declared that if Aamir wasn't on board, he would much rather not make the film.
The book that inspired Bombay Velvet
But now that Bombay Velvet, which was conceived some years ago, has been stuck in a limbo for a while, the filmmaker has decided to go ahead with it sans the actor.
Apart from the star cast, film's budget has also been a major cause for concern.
About the film
The film, set in the 60's is an adaptation of Gyan Prakash's book Mumbai Fables that encapsulates the city's literary and architectural history.
The film therefore aims to re-create the city that was, a good five decades ago.
"There is every chance that the audience would see the queen's necklace with an absolutely clear skyline, minus all the skyscrapers," adds the director.
With the estimated budget of the sets alone expected to be between R 15-17 crores, this would be Anurag's most expensive venture yet.
And if Aamir was on board, the budget would definitely double if not less. "Studio 18 is producing the film and money is not an issue here," Kashyap is quick to clarify.
The director, who is busy with Gangs of Wasseypur and That Girl in the Yellow Boots, is expected to announce the final starcast of Bombay Velvet very soon.
For now, John Abraham, Naseeruddin Shah and Kay Kay Menon are part of the project that will go on floors in 2012.
Kashyap vs Khans
2009- Buzz was that there was a misunderstanding between Anurag and Shahrukh Khan. Apparently, SRK was keen to be a part of Bombay Velvet but, according to Anurag, he was not fit for the role.
2011- Post the success of Dabangg, Anurag lashed out at Salman Khan on twitter claiming that his brother Abhinav Kashyap was ousted from the Dabangg sequel.
2011- At a press conference for his film Shaitaan, Anurag took a dig at the Khans saying he did not need a Khan to promote his film.
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