A film announcement in Bollywood can light up the trade for weeks: a starry cast, a celebrated director, a promised release window. But not every project that gets a big reveal actually reaches the screen. The Hindi remake of The Intern, the Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro hit, was announced in 2020 with Deepika Padukone and Rishi Kapoor. Recent trade murmurs suggest movement after years in limbo — and it is a useful reminder of how many high-profile titles stay stuck.
The five films still waiting
Here is a quick look at five projects that were announced with fanfare and still have no release date.
- Takht: Karan Johar’s Mughal-era drama was announced in 2018 with Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor. The succession story was later put on hold.
- Inshallah: Sanjay Leela Bhansali was to pair Salman Khan and Alia Bhatt for the first time. Production was expected in 2019, but the film was shelved after Bhansali and Salman had differences.
- Dostana 2: The sequel to the 2008 hit began with Kartik Aaryan, Janhvi Kapoor and Lakshya. Kartik exited in 2021; Dharma recast the film with Vikrant Massey, but there has been no further update.
- The Immortal Ashwatthama: Aditya Dhar’s science-fiction take on the mythological warrior was to star Vicky Kaushal. Budget and scale concerns stalled it; a separate Ashwatthama project with Shahid Kapoor was later announced but also has no status.
- The Osho project: Shakun Batra was developing a story around Osho and Ma Anand Sheela in 2018, with Aamir Khan and Alia Bhatt reportedly attached, though casting was never confirmed. Priyanka Chopra separately announced a Sheela biopic in 2020; that, too, has gone quiet.
Why these limbo files matter
Each stalled title resets calendars and expectations far beyond the cast. A shelved Bhansali-Salman reunion or a large-scale Dharma period drama means budgets stay blocked, release slates shift and streaming platforms lose a potential premiere. Several of these announcements predate the 2020 production disruptions, making the silence even longer for fans.
The pattern is also a reminder that an announcement is not a green light. Casting reports, especially the quieter ones, are often earlier than official confirmation.
What to watch next
The current chatter around The Intern suggests movement after years. The practical way to follow these projects is to wait for an official production update — a start date, a recast confirmation or a formal postponement — rather than a single trade headline. Meanwhile, the five titles above remain a useful checklist of Bollywood’s most-watched missing films.
Source: Hindustan Times