The biggest period drama in Bollywood had a Rs 250-crore budget with seven superstars but was never made
February 2020 seems like a lifetime ago to most people. It was just four years ago (technically) but there is a whole pandemic and much more in between. For the Hindi film industry, this phase also included the #BoycottBollywood trend that came and went but caused a few casualties (shelved films) along the way. One of them was supposed to be the biggest multi-starrer Bollywood had ever seen.
Bollywood’s biggest film that had Rs 250-crore budget and seven superstars
In February 2020, Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions announced the director’s ambitious project – Takht. The period drama was supposed to follow the rivalry of brothers Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh and boasted of a slam dunk cast. Apart from Vicky Kaushal and Ranveer Singh as the two Mughals, the film also starred Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor in the main roles, apart from Bhumi Pednekar. The announcement was done with a release date teaser, featuring Vicky and Ranveer’s voices. The film, which was said to be mounted on a massive Rs 250-crore budget, was slated for release on December 24, 2021.
Why Takht suffered due to #BoycottBollywood
In June 2020, the sudden death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput changed the landscape of Bollywood for months to come. While the death has since been ruled a suicide, wild conspiracy theories and allegations of ostracization brought Karan Johar to the front and centre as a target of trolls. The #BoycottBollywood trend began as a backlash against nepotism in the industry and soon became a tool to target every ‘star kid’ or ‘insider’. Unwittingly, Johar became the face of it all. The filmmaker quit Twitter irked by the harassment and went incognito for some time.
This, combined by the lockdowns due to Covid-19, affected the production of Takht. The film was supposed to go on floors in 2020 but that entire year was wasted, and the film could never get back on track. The presence of star kids in Takht also irked many 'commenters'. Karan Johar moved to directing Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, which released in 2023 to grad success at the box office.
Will Takht ever be made?
Karan Johar has mentioned on more than one occasion that Takht has not been shelved but just delayed. While promoting Rocky Aur Rani in 2023, the director said in interviews that he intends to get Takht back on track after Rocky Aur Rani. However, there has been no movement in that direction so far. The fate of the period epic remains uncertain.
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 "The announcement poster of Takht")
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