Director slams Ahmed Khan's claim of Dhaakad shutdown, to issue legal notice

Dhaakad (2020) director Razneesh Ghai has denied claims of the Kangana Ranaut film being shelved.

The director came out strongly against Baaghi 3 (2020) director Ahmed Khan's recent claim that Dhaakad had been shelved following Ranaut's Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi (2019).

Ghai even said his office might sue Khan for the statement.

In an interview with the Navbharat Times newspaper, Ahmed Khan had referred to the average box-office performance of Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi as an example of prominent woman-orientated films not doing well at the box office.

According to the newspaper's website, Khan said, "There were five more films being made along the lines of Manikarnika, but seeing its performance those ideas were dropped. Later, Dhaakad was announced with Kangana [Ranaut]. The film's teaser also came out, which was very good, but seeing the performance of Manikarnika, it was shelved."

Dhaakad was announced on 9 July 2019 and the teaser was released a month later, on 9 August. While the film was scheduled for release during the Diwali weekend of 2020, it has since been sidelined. Ranaut recently began working on Thalaivi, the biopic of the late actress-turned-Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, and put on weight for the role.

As for reports of Dhaakad being shelved, director Razneesh Ghai has come forth to deny them. In a statement on social media, the director rubbished Ahmed Khan's claim and said he is thinking of sending the director a legal notice.

Meanwhile, Ranaut's manager, sister Rangoli Chandel, tweeted that Ahmed Khan had called up to 'apologize' to Ranaut for the statement being misconstrued.

However, she also claimed that Razneesh Ghai would be sending the Baaghi 3 director a legal notice as 'he deserves one'.