These Bollywood films' schedule went haywire due to lack of star dates

With Farhan Akhtar's chock-a-block schedule bringing work on Dev Benegal's film to a standstill, we look at other films that have got stuck owing to the unavailability of star dates

A slew of big-ticket’ films is lined up for release over the next couple of years. Though dates for both film shoots and release are decided well in advance, several films’ schedules are said to be going for a toss due to a variety of reasons – the most prominent one being the unavailability of the star cast. A case in point is Dev Benegal’s film, Bombay Samurai, that has hit a roadblock since lead actor, Farhan Akhtar, has been unable to allot dates to the film. “The director is finding it difficult to get dates from the lead stars. It has once again been delayed and this time round, it is because Farhan is busy shooting for Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadkne Do,” says a source.

Dev Benegal’s film, Bombay Samurai, has hit a roadblock since lead actor, Farhan Akhtar, has been unable to give dates for the film. The actor-filmmaker has been busy shooting for Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadkne Do leaving him with no time to devote to other projects.

With growing competition in the industry, not many filmmakers seem willing to take risks with lesser-known faces. Most studios and production houses are planning their projects well in advance but the schedule gets disturbed when the stars fail to allot dates for shoot. “These days, many releases are getting pushed ahead because the industry biggies have their hands full and their work calendars cannot accommodate further dates despite a push. This directly affects the movies that they already have in their kitty,” adds the source.

hitlist gives you the lowdown on a few Bollywood films that have been postponed because of actors’ unavailability to juggle dates...

Action Jackson
This Ajay Devgn and Yami Gautam-starrer has had a bumpy ride from the word go. Initially slated to release in August, it was pushed to November, since Ajay was not available to complete the last leg of the shooting schedule.

Ajay Devgn was not available to shoot for the last leg of Action Jackson thus delaying the film

The latest buzz is that the film’s release has again been postponed to December as the shoot is yet to wrap up and its postproduction would also need time.

Roy
Director Vikramjit Singh’s debut film has been making news for quite some time now due to a constant delay in the film’s shoot. Ranbir Kapoor, who plays a key role in the film, has failed to allocate dates to the makers thus delaying the film’s release. The film was set to release in June this year, but it is now expected to be ready only by February 2015.

Ranbir Kapoor hasn’t been able to make time for Roy and Jagga Jasoos 

Jagga Jasoos
Ranbir Kapoor has been unable to work out dates for this film opposite alleged girlfriend, Katrina Kaif. The project, which would be co-produced by Ranbir himself, has not begun in the right earnest, as Ranbir is busy shooting for other films. Reportedly, this detective drama was planned as a ‘quickie’ but the director, Anurag Basu has admitted to shooting bits and pieces in-between the schedules for Ranbir’s other film, Bombay Velvet. Since it was highly improbable that the film could stick to its original release date of October-November, it has now been postponed to August 2015.

Raees
This mega project starring Shah Rukh Khan was earlier supposed to go on the floors in November this year, but it has been inordinately delayed.

Shah Rukh Khan’s other commitments have kept him from working on Raees

Sources said that Farhan Akhtar, who is also co-producing the film, was not happy with the script besides being busy with his sister Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadkne Do, which has resulted in the project making no headway. On the other hand, SRK too is said to be busy with his other commitments. In all likelihood, the film will have its silver screen rendezvous with Bollywood buffs next year.

Welcome Back
This is the sequel to the super hit film, Welcome (2007), that was also directed by Anees Bazmee.

Paresh Rawal, Shruti Haasan, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar form the film’s cast. Lead actors’ busy schedules have delayed the film 

The film has seen a change in its release date as the lead actors are pleading busy with other commitments. As per the revised schedule, the film will hit the big screen in January 2015 instead of December.

All Is Well
This film is stuck half way as the Union Minister for Human Resources Development, Smriti Irani, hasn’t had any time to shoot, thanks to her frenzied political commitments.

Smriti Irani’s ministerial duties have left her with no time for film shoots

Smriti was supposed to join the film’s unit in the second week of June, but she hasn’t been able to keep her word. She has requested the producers to shift the schedule to a further date so that she can devote time to her parliamentary duties. Earlier scheduled to release in December, it is likely to be out next year.

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