Will Sushant Singh Rajput and Ekta Kapoor ever be able to do a film together?

- Anish Mohanty           Let us know what you think about this article

Abhishek Kapoor, who directed Rajput in 'Kai Po Che' and is also working with him in 'Kedarnath', had stated in an interview that when he informed Ekta (who happens to be his cousin) about casting Sushant in his film, she said that she was upset about him quitting 'Pavitra Rishta' but he is a very good actor. 'Kai Po Che' turned out to be a successful film. In the same year, Sushant did his first film with Yash Raj Films, 'Shuddh Desi Romance' which was also a commercial success. Since then, the actor has done a handful of films and has had a career filled with several ups and downs. However, he never got an opportunity to collaborate on a film project with Ekta. Or did he?

The truth is that Sushant and Ekta got the opportunity to collaborate with each other a couple of times but for some reason or the other, they could not really work together. Sushant was signed for Abhishek Kapoor's 'Fitoor' which was to be produced by Ekta's Balaji Films. Later, Ekta opted out of the project due to creative differences with Abhishek. Disney UTV came on board as the co-producer along with Abhishek's Guy In The Sky Pictures. The film got a little delayed because of some pre-production issues and eventually Sushant had to opt out as the schedule of the film was now clashing with another film that he had committed to do at that point of time. Aditya Roy Kapur was brought in as the replacement. Ekta and Sushant must have thanked their stars as the film turned out to be a disaster at the box-office.

In 2015, Ekta Kapoor bought the rights of Chetan Bhagat's then-newly released book 'Half Girlfriend'. Mohit Suri was roped in as the director and the three of them decided to co-produce the film. Sushant, who hails from Bihar, was thought to be the perfect choice for the protagonist Madhav who comes from Bihar to study in Delhi University. Sushant signed on the dotted line but later opted out as the film got delayed and he could not adjust his dates accordingly.

With 'Kedarnath', one thought things were finally falling into place. Abhishek had put the debacle of 'Fitoor' behind him and was looking firward to start his inter-reeligious love story 'Kedarnath' with Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan. Apart from co-producing the film himself, he had got as many three other production houses (KriArj Entertainment, Balaji Films and T-Series) on board for the project. Earlier this year, a fight ensued between Abhishek Kapoor and KriArj Entertainment which resulted in the shoot of the film coming to a halt. Recently, Ronnie Screwvala compensated KriArj Entertainment, Balaji Films and T-Series for their share in the film and took over the projected as a producer with Abhishek's Guy In The Sky Pictures. The good thing is that the film is back on track and will probably release early next year. But, this is the third time Ekta and Sushant got very close to collaborating on a film but could not. So, will the two of them ever collaborate on a film together? Only time can tell.

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