Has Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt's 'Shuddhi' finally been dropped?

Karan Johar's dream project "Shuddhi" was getting delayed for various reasons and now, the buzz is that the film has finally been axed. Karan Malhotra was supposed to direct the film and the leading actors, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, had also been finalised.

It is not clear whether the project has been jinxed or the cast and crew are really busy with their other commitments. However, recent reports hint that the film has been dropped for various reasons.

"No work has been done on the film. It has gone through many casting changes and every time a new actor came on board, the script had to be reworked to suit their personality. Apart from that, KJo wasn't too confident about handing the directorial baton to Karan Malhotra since the latter's last film ('Brothers') didn't do well," Mid-Day quoted a source as saying.

In fact, the filmmaker and the actors are busy with their individual projects. Karan is currently busy with his film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", Varun with "Dishoom" and Alia with Gauri Shinde's project. It was earlier reported that Karan would start shooting for the film only after he wraps up "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil".

"Varun, who had stopped signing films to focus on 'Shuddhi', is now scouring for challenging scripts, indicating that the film has been shelved. He is now busy with other projects — his brother Rohit Dhawan's 'Dishoom' to be followed by a gangster flick. Alia, too, will shortly begin shooting with Shah Rukh Khan for Gauri Shinde's next," the source added.

Initially, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan were supposed to be the lead pair of "Shuddhi" but later, it was announced that Salman Khan had been roped in for the project. However, KJo then announced the names of Varun and Alia as the lead actors.