Several theories suggest otherwise. But then, everything is hearsay...
Priyanka Chopra’s exit from Salman Khan’s Bharat has been discussed and dissed. And director Ali Abbas Zafar’s tweet suggesting that she did it at the ‘nick of time’, was perceived as the actress citing her ‘engagement’ for leaving the film. However, gossip mills offer several versions for this out-of-the-ordinary behaviour of the otherwise professional star.
PC SHOT FOR A FILM A FEW DAYS AFTER HER FATHER PASSED AWAY
A producer points out that an engagement, or for that matter even a marriage, can’t be the reason for Priyanka to exit a film at the last minute. He says, “PC is extraordinarily professional. I remember she shot for a film, just a few days after her father (Dr Ashok Chopra) passed away in 2013. She was devastated by his death, yet she didn’t cancel the shoot. So, to say that she is opting out of a film at the nth hour, stating her engagement as a reason, seems a bit out of place.”
SHE WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE PRICE SHE WAS BEING PAID
After Hrs had told you on many occasions that the actress has been reportedly asking for anything between a whopping Rs 13-14 cr as her remuneration. However, in the case of Bharat, she was allegedly being paid Rs 6.5 cr. Yet, she seemed unhappy with this arrangement. An insider says that PC brought up this subject with her close friend within the Khan family. However, the price she was to be paid was deliberated and decided on after checking the viability factor. After all, even her last outing Jai Gangaajal (2016) wasn’t anything to write home about. And paying her the double-digit figure, which she was reportedly asking for, would not be prudent.
LAST-MINUTE ADDITIONS TO THE CAST
One theory being widely floated is that Priyanka was unhappy with the sudden additions to the cast. When she was signed on, there were no mentions of youngsters like Disha Patani and Nora Fatehi being a part of the ensemble. Of course, she was aware that other actresses were yet to be cast. But that it would be someone as young as Disha, who also got her fair share of publicity for bagging a role in Bharat, was something she hadn’t anticipated. PC, according to our source, needed to condition her mind to accept these additions.
SALMAN AND PC ARE STAR-CROSSED
Salman and Priyanka haven’t worked together after God Tussi Great Ho (2008). Also, on a personal level, a midnight meeting between the two in 2012 had become a topic of hot discussion. And Salman, at that point, was slightly irritated because he ‘wondered’ how the news got out in the first place! Any guesses?
Even this time, Salman is reportedly not amused. One cannot blame him. After all, he had several leading ladies who were ready to be a part of this prestigious project. But he chose PC over them. Naturally, her opting out left him slightly red-faced. One hears he wished her well for her engagement and marriage but...
ALI ABBAS ZAFAR FELT LET DOWN, TOO
Never mind what he said on social media, apparently Ali, who shares a warm friendship with PC since their Gunday days, was most certainly taken aback with her behaviour. On Wednesday (July 25) when PC spoke to him and Salman, the superhit filmmaker reportedly told her that he had ‘put his neck on the line’ for her in this particular scenario and now he was certainly disappointed.
RARING TO GET HITCHED
Piggy Chops is definitely looking to get hitched. The fact that 25-year-old composer, singer, actor Nick Jonas loves her to distraction is helping. She is said to have told certain people close to her that she is 36 now and was looking to get married.
Coming back to the engagement being the reason for her exit, there are those in Bollywood who feel it’s a rather lame excuse. Girls like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Anushka Sharma and Sonam K Ahuja are doing super well after their shaadi. “It’s silly to even suggest that marriage should be a reason for exiting a film so abruptly. This coming from Priyanka, who has made headlines for her emancipated thought process, is quite lame,” says a source.
We got in touch with Priyanka’s spokesperson, who didn’t have a comment at this point of time.
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 "Priyanka Chopra; (right) Priyanka and Nick Jonas")
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