The remake of late actor Sridevi‘s iconic 1989 film Chaalbaaz was announced in 2021 with Shraddha Kapoor in the lead role. The film’s title was announced as Chaalbaaz in London. Later, Janhvi Kapoor replaced Shraddha, and a new report has got people talking again. Recently, Bollywood Hungama said that Janhvi “has jumped onto the chance of playing the lead role in Chaalbaaz”. Taking to Reddit, citing this report, several people questioned why Janhvi is being chosen.

Janhvi excited to be part of Chaalbaaz remake

Citing its sources, Bollywood Hungama reported, “For Janhvi, Chaalbaaz is a lot more than just a film. It’s an emotion. She has jumped onto the chance of playing the lead role in Chaalbaaz, but is treading this with utmost caution. She is taking opinions from people around for the Chaalbaaz remake. She is excited, but is also wary of all the comparisons. She is expected to take a call on the Chaalbaaz remake by the end of September.”

Reddit isn’t happy as Chaalbaaz remake will be made with Janhvi Kapoor

On Reddit, people asked about Janhvi’s casting, despite her films failing at the box office. Many fans have suggested that actor Sanya Malhotra will “fit the bill perfectly.”

A person shared a post, “RUMOUR: A remake of Chaalbaaz is in development, with Janhvi Kapoor being considered for the lead role.” Reacting to it, a Reddit user said, “Why is she getting movies even though all her previous films flopped?” A person asked, “How many movies do we have to suffer until Janhvi shows mercy on us and quits acting? She doesn’t know an ounce of acting. Please don’t ruin it.”

A comment read, “At this point, her manager needs to be fired. You need to understand the artist’s limitations and advise them accordingly. I promise you this is one of those roles which would be cancelled if Janhvi says no. Absolutely no need to do this.” A Redditor wrote, “No, take Sanya Malhotra, please.” Another person said, “Sanya Malhotra will it the bill perfectly.” “Actually, I don’t think any actress today has that kind of comic timing. The last person after Sridevi who had that was Juhi,” said a fan.

Another Reddit user said, “Wasn’t Shraddha Kapoor doing Chaalbaaz in London?” “Why Jahnvi Kapoor? Wasn’t this movie supposed to be made with Shraddha Kapoor in the lead role?” asked another person. “It won’t work in today’s time. It needs to have an epic level of fun like Neeraj Vora’s movies to carry what Sridevi achieved,” said another fan. “Next, she will do the Sadma remake,” read another comment.

Shraddha Kapoor was chosen for Chaalbaaz in London in 2021

In 2021, Pankaj Parashar re-shared a post by T-Series, which made the announcement of the film starring Shradha Kapoor. The post read, “We’re so glad to announce that the gorgeous Shraddha Kapoor will be starring in our next film, Chaalbaaz in London! Directed by Pankaj Parashar and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ahmed Khan and Shaira Khan. #ChaalbaazInLondon.”

Shraddha was replaced with Janhvi in 2022

The next year, India Today, quoting its source, reported, “The makers had announced the project with Shraddha Kapoor. However, due to the postponement of the film, her dates are not available for next year. The filmmakers are now keen to cast Janhvi Kapoor for the role. They have approached the young actress for Chaalbaaz in London.”

What Chaalbaaz director said about dropping Shraddha from remake

In December last year, speaking with Siddharth Kannan, Pankaj had spoken about why Shraddha wasn’t part of the film. He had said, “We were writing the script and somewhere there was some hesitancy in matching that.” He added he was hesitant, but not Shraddha, as she was “very excited.” Pankaj added that the “script didn’t come to that stage.”

He shared that David Dhawan advised him to reconsider the remake of the film. Pankaj also revealed that he was writing a different script and not recreating the 1989 film. He also said that they stopped writing the script after a point of time, adding that he will make Chaalbaaz in London. He further said that Shraddha wasn’t upset when he backed out.

About Chaalbaaz

The 1989 film was directed by Pankaj Parashar and written by Rajesh Mazumdar and Kamlesh Pandey. It also starred Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth. The film revolved around identical twin sisters–Anju and Manju, who get separated at birth. While Anju lives with her uncle, who wants to seize her property, Manju grows up in a slum environment and is a tomboy.

About Janvi’s, Shraddha’s films

Fans saw Janhvi recently in Tushar Jalota’s Param Sundari alongside Sidharth Malhotra. She will be seen with Varun Dhawan in Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. The film will hit theatres on October 2.

Shraddha was last seen in Stree 2 opposite Rajkummar Rao. The makers of the Stree franchise announced the release date for the third instalment of this horror-comedy film. Amar Kaushik directed the film, which is slated for a 2027 release.