This metro is running late

Anurag Basu, Sara Ali Khan and Aditya Roy Kapur

Good things take time. It's particularly true of filmmaker Anurag Basu whose movies, though often delayed, are worth the wait. His next, Metro... In Dino - starring Sara Ali Khan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Konkona Sensharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ali Fazal, Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta - was to release on March 29. Now, mid-day has learnt that the ensemble drama has been postponed, as the team has almost a month's shoot remaining.

The sequel to Basu's beautiful Life in a Metro (2007) was originally slated to hit the marquee on December 8, 2023. However, last July, the makers announced that the release was pushed to March 29, 2024. Now, a March date with the audience is off the table. A source reveals, "Anurag, who has written the script with Samrat Chakraborty, is a maverick filmmaker known to take his time to complete a movie. His method is unique where he likes to spend time with actors, helping them understand their scenes and characters better. At the same time, he is all about spontaneity, and often gives them dialogues a few hours before the shoot, or reimagines scenes during filming. Most actors love working with him as it's a creatively fulfilling experience. On Metro... In Dino, he has a 30-day shoot pending. Nobody wants to rush Dada's process."

Buzz also suggests that Basu will re-shoot some portions as he isn't happy with the rushes, and that music director Pritam hasn't composed any songs yet. Producer Bhushan Kumar, however, dismisses the rumours as "untrue." He says, "We have only 30 days of songs and [talkie portions] left to shoot, which we will complete in March-April. Obviously, we won't be able to release the film on March 29. We have not announced a new date yet. It has been tough getting combination dates of so many artistes. The film has six to seven songs, and Pritam has already started giving us some tracks."

Confirming that the anthology has been postponed, Basu says, "I have not yet shot with Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Shaikh. So, I am finishing their story and songs with other actors. I'd like to add that contrary to speculation, I have never re-shot anything for any of my films."