Motwane's Bhavesh Joshi with Sid indefinitely on hold

Vikramaditya Motwane says that the change in power and mood has made him put his ambitious film on hold.

Vikramaditya Motwane has put his Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Bhavesh Joshi on ice for the time being. Reason: The story is no longer topical.

"It was written when the last government was in power and corruption was rampant. There was a lot that was wrong with the city... the country... and this was affecting everyone," explains the filmmaker.

And that became the trigger for a boy's personal crusade against the system. "But a lot has changed in the last one year. We have a new government, both at the centre and in the state. And while there are still some things that make us angry and pessimistic, like moral policing which prevents us from exercising our right to freedom of speech and expression, there is the promise of economic development which has changed the mood," reasons Vikramaditya, explaining why he has decided to put the project on hold for now.

He is however quick to add that he hasn't shelved the film. "I'll make it some day, it's a relevant subject, and I'm passionate about it. As a Bombayite I feel the city, which gives so much to the rest of the country, is grossly ignored. There's no planning, the infrastructure is falling apart. But it's early days yet for Maharashtra's brand new government. We need to give it some time. If things still don't improve, I can always go back to my earlier script which reflected our anger and angst. But right now the timing isn't right," he asserts.

Bhavesh Joshi was conceived with Imran Khan in mind for the title role. But in March 2014, Vikramaditya confirmed to Mirror that the actor had opted out. This had brought the project, which was to roll in February, to a standstill. And Vikramaditya had returned to the drawing board to rework the script with another actor. He found a replacement in Sidharth Malhotra but though the actor was keen to play the hero, he had a prior commitment, Brothers, to wrap up first.

Did the casting change delay the project and set the timing off? "May be it did," Vikramaditya admits. And should he restart the film, would he still want to make it with one of these two actors? "I'd love to make it with Sid who's a fabulous actor. But that would depend on where he is, where I am, where the film is at the time," he points out.

Meanwhile, he has five releases as a producer this year. And is working on projects which he couldn't actively pursue earlier as the focus was on Bhavesh Joshi. "There's enough work. And I'll also direct another film this year," he asserts.