Aamir Khan's 'Thugs of Hindostan' stuck because of heroine unavailability

Aamir Khan’s upcoming project with producer Aditya Chopra, Thugs Of Hindostan was supposed to start filming this summer. It now seems unlikely that the opus will commence shooting anytime in the near future as an acute heroine crisis has hit the project.

While the two male leads Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan fell into place effortlessly, Adi and director Vijay Krishna Acharya are, in the words of an insider, “facing a major heroine hurdle.” 

They’ve approached everyone from Alia Bhatt to Fatima Sana Sheikh to Vaani Kapoor.

According to an actor who read the script, the problem is with the characterisation. “The heroine’s role is sketchy. Whoever plays the part will have little to do. The dramatic conflict is  between Big B and Aamir.”

Adds the actor, “In fact, when Hrithik Roshan was supposed to do Thugs..., he had pointed out this shortcoming in the script to Adi, and the producer had agreed with the actor. But instead  of working on the heroine’s role, he changed the hero instead.”

Now that Aamir is on board and the film is all set to roll, the absence of a female protagonist has created a sense of crisis at Yash Raj Films. 

Says a source, “The last time Yash Raj faced a similar heroine crisis was when they needed a second leading lady after Madhuri Dixit in Dil To Pagal Hai. This time, until they finalise a leading lady, TOH is on hold.”