Aamir Khan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ delayed by one year

MUMBAI: The production of ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan has shifted to Turkey due to the continuing coronavirus crisis in India.

‘Laal Singh Chadha’ is an official remake of 1994 Oscar-winner ‘Forrest Gump’. It is adapted by Atul Kulkarni from Eric Roth’s screenplay.

The film’s shooting schedule in Punjab, northern India, was halted in March due to the pandemic. Consequently, the film’s release, originally scheduled for December 2020, has now been pushed to year end 2021.

“We will still keep the Christmas date, not 2020, but in 2021. #LaalSinghChaddha. New Release Date. @aamir_khan @Viacom18Studios All focus on film completion for now!,” tweeted Viacom18 Studios COO Ajit Andhare.

The remake is directed by Advait Chandan whose debut feature ‘Secret Superstar’ also starring Aamir Khan, grossed Rs. 965 crore and the second highest-grossing non-English foreign film ever in China.

Aamir Khan-starring ‘Dangal’ is the highest-grossing Indian film of all time with worldwide collections of Rs. 2,100 crore. Dangal is also the fifth highest-grossing non-English film ever.

In June, some of Aamir Khan’s domestic staff tested positive for COVID-19. They were quarantined immediately and taken to a medical facility. The star himself, his wife Kiran Rao, who is also a producer on ‘Laal Singh Chaddha,’ and his mother all tested negative.

‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is the second high profile Bollywood film to shift overseas during the pandemic. ‘Bellbottom’ starring Akshay Kumar is shooting in Scotland. India has 2.21 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 44,500 deaths.