For almost 15 years Sanjay Leela Bhansali has nurtured a dream—to make a film on Peshwa Bajirao and his ladylove Mastani. Finally, it seems the search for the lead pair is half over. The buzz is that Bhansali is going to sign Shah Rukh Khan as Bajirao.
He had conceptualised the project with his Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam pair and then real-life sweethearts Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead. But, with the end of the love affair, Bhansali had no option but to put his dream project on hold.
The first schedule of Bajirao Mastani is likely to kick off in the mid of the year, revealed a source. The film will roll with a humongous budget, which could probably be the highest in Bollywood till date. SRK’s company Red Chillies Entertainment might co-produce the film with Bhansali. The historical drama has seen several casting changes and has never really taken off until now.
A source from the industry tells: “After his film Ram-Leela released in October 2013, Bhansali has now started work on his next production, Bajirao Mastani. He wants to begin shooting in April 2014, but the film’s scale is such that it needs extensive pre-production work.”
There are also rumours that Bhansali is keen to cast Deepika Padukone opposite Shah Rukh in the film with Katrina Kaif playing Bajirao’s wife Kashibai. “Bhansali has just worked with Deepika, so he might cast her again in this one. He is in talks with both Deepika and Katrina,” adds the source.
