'Fukrey 2' team can't wait for Ali Fazal

Ali Fazal

Ali Fazal

The ensemble cast of 'Fukrey' - Pulkit Samrat, Ali Fazal, Varun Sharma and Richa Chadha is set to return to the big screen next year. But, with Ali signing a Hollywood project, 'Victoria And Abdul', starring Judi Dench, the film's shoot has constantly been delayed.

The first schedule was supposed to roll out in the beginning of this month, but had to be pushed back to mid-November to accommodate the actor's dates. Now, Ali has made the makers reshuffle the schedule all over again. Tired of waiting for him, the team of Fukrey 2 has now decided to start filming without him.

A unit hand says, "Ali told them flatly that the prep cannot be done from the set of his current film for which he is shooting in the outskirts of London. A considerable amount of time needs to be spent on his look for 'Fukrey 2'. This would have caused further delay and we couldn't have begun shooting before November-end. Mrigdeep (Singh Lamba, director) and Ritesh (Sidhwani, producer) have decided to begin shooting in early November. Ali can join the cast when he is back."

Since Ali's first hit, 'Fukrey', was under Excel Productions' banner, co-producers Ritesh and Farhan Akhtar, and Mrigdeep have been thrilled about his Hollywood movie. "But, at the same time, holding the film's shoot for one person can lead to monetary loss. In the current climate, a film with that budget cannot stretch shoot period," adds the insider.

Despite repeated calls, Mrigdeep and Ritesh remained unavailable for comment. Ali's spokesperson, however, confirms, "There were some changes, but now things are back on track. Ali had to manage his dates between both films which had extensive schedules. He returns to India by mid-November, after which he will start shooting for his part in 'Fukrey 2'."