Deepika and Alia to join Ranbir in Bhansali's 'Baiju Bawra'?
Sanjay Leela Bhansali might just have managed to bring together perhaps the most enviable trio of actors for his upcoming movie. It has been reported that Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt are all set to play the female leads in the ambitious period film Baiju Bawra, which reportedly also stars Ranbir Kapoor. Here are more details on this.
Bhansali had announced Baiju Bawra in October last year with its release planned around Diwali of 2021. It was later reported that Ranbir would be cast as Baiju in the film. For the unversed, Baiju Bawra is the story of a young musician who had challenged the famous maestro Tansen in Mughal Emperor Akbar's court to a musical duel to avenge his father's death.
The story of Baiju Bawra was earlier brought alive on the big screen through a Hindi film by Vijay Bhatt. It was dubbed a musical "megahit," lasting 100 weeks in theaters. It starred Bharat Bhushan as Baiju, while Meena Kumari and Kuldip Kaur played female leads.
Now, according to a report in Pinkvilla, Bhansali has decided to cast Deepika and Alia in the movie. "He (Bhansali) has narrated the script to both of them and they have both loved their parts," a source told the publication. While Alia will be paired opposite Ranbir in the film, Deepika will be seen essaying the role of dacoit Roopmati.
"The movie revolves around the characters of Baiju and Tansen and the conflict between the two... For Tansen's role, they need a much older actor and they are already in talks with two big superstars to come on board," the source further informed.
If the said collaboration materializes, it will be Deepika and Alia's first film together. With Ranbir, Deepika has featured in movies like Tamasha and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Separately, Ranbir has films like Shamshera and Brahmastra (co-starring Alia) in the pipeline. Alia, on the other hand, will be seen in Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi. Deepika has 83 and an untitled Shakun Batra film coming up.
