Kangana's Dhaakad postponed

Producer Sohail Makhlai finds his new project Dhaakad, starring Kanagana Ranaut, stuck because of the coronavirus.

"Dhaakad was to have its first major schedule in April," Makhlai -- who produced Anubhav Sinha's Dus and the Aishwarya Rai-Sunny Deol starrer Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya -- tells Subhash K Jha.

"Obviously, that got mowed down by the virus. We had then planned for July because Kangana is shooting for her Jayalalitha biopic. Now, I don't see even that happening. I seriously doubt we can start shooting in July."

So what about the Diwali 2020 release?

Says Makhlai, whose last film Knock-Out was released eight years ago, "We had announced a Diwali release. We had all the schedules worked out. But the virus has hit the entire entertainment industry. Nobody has a map for the road ahead."

Makhlai is sure that Dhaadak will be made, and made without any compromise.

"My director Razneesh Ghai is a high-profile name in the ad world. He has made three ads with Kangana and she shares a wonderful rapport with him. Our script for Kangana is sure to take her to the next level," the producer adds.

Kangana also starred in Makhlai's Knock-Out.

"We are all excited about Dhaakad. But there is no clarity right now about when it would go on the floors. When we put out the poster little did we know what was in store," says Makhlai.

"In Mumbai, cinema seems like very low priority right now. First, we need to survive this crisis. Then we'll see. Once shooting is resumed we'll plunge into Dhaakad."