Mumbai, June 28: In the backdrop of speculations over actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan acting in ‘Heroine', the producers of the flick today said that the project has been put on hold due to her pregnancy.
Producer UTV Motion Pictures said that Madhur Bhandarkar's much-awaited film ‘Heroine' has been put off indefinitely, considering Aishwarya's health. However, the suspense over whether Aishwarya will continue to be the part of the project thickened with a source saying, “The shooting of the film is stalled and Aishwarya is not part of the project”.
“We would like to put an end to the speculative and factually incorrect stories that are doing the rounds on Heroine, and to clarify the position on the film once and for all. At this point nothing is more important than Aishwarya's well being and good health,” UTV Motion Pictures said in a statement.
“In that context, we have all mutually agreed that the best step would be to avoid shooting further, rather than proceeding with an incredibly demanding schedule over the coming months. Even as we will truly miss this opportunity to work with Aishwarya, the entire unit wishes her the very best for the exciting time ahead, as she and Abhishek move into this special new phase in their lives,” the statement said.
Big B had last week broken the news about his daughter-in-law's pregnancy through a social networking site. Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, ‘Heroine' will star Aishwarya essaying the role of a once successful film actress Mahi Khanna, whose career is on the decline. The formal announcement of the film was made at the Cannes Film Festival 2011.
‘Heroine' is a hard-hitting, realistic film that also stars Arjun Rampal and Arunoday Singh. Meanwhile, in the background of growing buzz that she might chip in for the lead role as Aishwarya's status is uncertain apparently due to the bump, actress Priyanka Chopra tweeted, “Read some stupid article about how I wanna do Madhur Bhandarkar's film Heroine. I think Madhur is amazing director and it will be amazing to work together again. But guys this one ain't it! I wish him and Ash lots of luck with the film”.
The prospects of ‘Heroine' going on floor in the immediate future appear bleak with the development even though Bhandarkar had conceptualised the movie much earlier before announcing it at the Cannes Film Festival 2011. PTI
