Salman Khan & Akshay Kumar’s ‘Battle of Saragarhi’ Shelved

Akshay was to play the lead in this historical drama, Salman and Karan were to jointly co-produce the project.

Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Karan Johar. 

(Photo courtesy: Twitter)

Remember the historic union of Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Karan Johar which was to happen for The Battle Of Saragarhi?

While Akshay was to play the lead in this historical drama, Salman Khan and Karan Johar were to jointly co-produce this lavish take on one of the bravest chapters from the history of the India. Akshay was to play Havaldar Ishar Singh, the military commander of 21 Sikh soldiers in British India who on 12 September 1897 led his men through a deathly battle against thousands of Afghani invaders. This clash came to be famously known as the Battle Of  Saragarhi.

The project announced in January 2017 was to start shooting in mid-2017.

And you won’t see any shooting for that film either. The script is nowhere near ready. Akshay is now busy with his other assignments till the end of 2018. Producers Salman Khan and Karan Johar have also moved on. Meanwhile Aamir Khan’s <i>Thugs Of Hindostan</i> occupies the same genre and space. So it looks like Yash Raj has beaten Karan Johar to that big historic epic box-office space. It doesn’t look like <i>Battle Of Saragarhi</i> will happen.

An informed source

Earlier when rumours of Salman backing out of the project began doing the rounds, the star tweeted about his commitment to doing a film with Akshay, which could mean that while the Saragarhi project has been shelved, the two stars may still work together for another film.

So fans of the three superstars - Salman, Akshay and Karan - need not lose heart. There is every possibility that they would honour their collaborative commitment into another project, as the Saragarhi biopic seems to be jinxed. Besides the version featuring Akshay that now seems nixed, another film on the same subject featuring Randeep Hooda seems stuck as its director Raj Kumar Santoshi is embroiled in various legal issues.

Ajay Devgn had also announced a film on the same theme. But, it now seems unlikely that he will get into the big-budget epic zone after burning his fingers with last year's Diwali firecracker Shivaay.

(The love of Lata Mangeshkar's voice and Hindi movies - in that order - has propelled Subhash K Jha to the pursuit of journalism for over 30 years.)

(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at [e-mail] or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)