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EXCLUSIVE: Bharat producer Atul Agnihotri opens up on Priyanka Chopra's exit; Says she hasn't texted till now
Just 10 days before the shoot, Priyanka Chopra had informed Salman Khan that she won't be able to accommodate Bharat in her schedule. Producer Atul Agnihotri gives a detailed account of what followed after...
By now, Salman Khan and Eid have become synonymous terms. Every June, a Bhai film is what gets the box office jingling with crores and fans celebrating. This year will be no different as the superstar gears up to release his next project Bharat. The first few promos and songs have been unveiled and all of it has received a huge thumbs up from the audiences. Recently, we caught up with Atul Agnihotri, who is the co-producer of the film and has put the entire thing together and discussed about the film, the turmoil they went through when they found out that their lead heroine had walked out of the film.
The film was initially going to reunite Salman with his Salaam-e-Ishq co-star Priyanka Chopra. Everyone was excited since the two actors haven't been seen sharing screen space since a long time now. But all of it seemed too good to be true. PeeCee decided to stage a walkout from the film, citing personal reasons, days before she was supposed to begin filming for it. From what we hear, it was Priyanka who had spoken to Ali and insisted on doing the movie, but 10 days before the Malta schedule, she broke the news of her impending marriage to Arpita Khan Sharma and then subsequently to Salman and informed them that she won't be able to play the part anymore.
We happened to be present on the sets the day this news broke, but contrary to how people would think it would have been, the entire crew wasn't stressed at all. Atul recalls the day and tells us, "As a producer, I face challenges everyday. What you have seen or heard of is one of those. Some challenges are small and tiring, while some are big but quick to solve. I can't be thinking that I'll be sipping tea and coffee and everything will go my way. That's not going to happen because we are dealing with human beings who are instinctive and impulsive. It was a part of the movie coming together. But Bharat seemed to have a mind of its own. The way things happened, we don't have any regrets."
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Atul also adds that he was indeed happier when Katrina Kaif was brought on-board. "Personally, my choice for the film was always Katrina, even when we were discussing whom to cast. The director's take was different - Ali wanted Priyanka," he continues. "So for me, when Katrina came back in the project, it wasn't a setback in my head. I felt it was meant to happen. I'm consciously trying to cater to Bhai's fan base and there's a certain responsibility on me because it's an Eid release. I feel with Salman bhai, nobody looks better than Katrina. There couldn't have been a better time than making a film like Bharat. It's meant to be for them. Everything felt like a setback for a few minutes, but we were never facing a big roadblock."
Talking about the Zero heroine, Atul says, "Katrina is a friend of us all. She was aware of everything. It was extremely thoughtful of her to not ask a single question when we went to her for the film. That is true professionalism. She was motivated right from the start and her intention was pure towards the film. She was determined to give a very special performance in the film and I think this is her finest so far."
Has Piggy Chops got back to him? Atul rues, "Priyanka still hasn't texted me. She never spoke to me about walking out of Bharat. It was a message I received on the set. I was like, 'It's okay, yeh ho gaya. But let's now fix it'. The news came to me via people." But the producer who is known to be an understanding person, adds, "I understand she was getting married and was in love. So, it's okay because that's the bigger decision of her life. Of course, it's great to discover and find love and it's even better to marry the person you love. I wish her all the best for her life. That one day, I could have felt a little different, but at the end of it, when you see things from the hindsight, it's fine."
Did Priyanka's walkout hurt, given that she is also a family friend, we ask. Pat comes his response, "It doesn't hurt. But it upsets your planning. It's a Salman Khan film so the timing of the information left us a little unsettled for a bit. But we are fortunate to have friends and supporters who know that our only intention is to make a great film. Whoever saw that and came on-board, their contribution is priceless. It can't be reciprocated in words," Atul signed off with a smile.
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