In July 2021, filmmaker Hansal Mehta announced Captain India with Kartik Aaryan as the lead. The true story-based thriller drama was originally supposed to go on floors in 2022 but was postponed due to Kartik’s busy schedule. It was then scheduled to get off the ground in the first quarter of this year, after Kartik finishes his romantic drama, Satyaprem Ki Katha. However, things seem to have changed in the past few months, as the latest development suggests that the film has now been postponed indefinitely.
Peepingmoon.com has exclusively learned that Captain India has been put on the back burner for the time being. The producers Ronnie Screwvala and Harman Baweja have apparently halted the project after Hansal Mehta backed out of it due to a scheduling conflict. "Hansal Mehta has multiple projects up his sleeve, all of which are in various stages of production. He has been so busy with those projects that he wasn’t able to devote the necessary time to Captain India, resulting in multiple delays in the film’s production. His packed commitments prevented him from focusing on the thriller drama, and hence, after discussing with the producers, he mutually decided to walk out of it," a source close to the development told us, clarifying that Kartik Aaryan, however, is still a part of this film.
After Hansal Mehta’s exit, the producers are believed to have started approaching other directors. We have learned that they are currently in talks with Abhishek Kapoor to helm this film, and the discussions so far suggest he will likely come on board. The producers believe Kapoor is a great choice to direct a film like this as he has always beautifully captured the true essence of human stories through films like Rock On, Kai Po Che, Kedarnath, and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. If things materialize, Kapoor will shoot Captain India later this year or early 2023 after completing his yet-unannounced action adventure film starring Ajay Devgn and Aaman Devgan.
Kartik Aaryan, meanwhile, has altered his film diary after Captain India’s indefinite postponement. The actor will now directly move on to Kabir Khan’s sports drama, soon after wrapping Sameer Vidwans’ Satyaprem Ki Katha with Kiara Advani. The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 hero will then shoot for Anurag Basu’s Aashiqui 3 around October 2023, and only after finishing these two films will he turn his attention back to Captain India. It’s unclear if the film will actually happen or eventually get shelved like most of the "delayed projects", but Kartik is still committed to that project as of now. On the release front, Kartik has Shehzada coming up in theatres on February 10. The film is a remake of Allu Arjun’s much-loved Telugu action comedy, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, and co-stars Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Ronit Roy, Sachin Khedekar, and Sunny Hinduja alongside Kartik.
