Deepika Padukone’s last minute exit from Tips’ ambitious thriller Race 2 also starring Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Amisha Patel and Jacqueline has left producer Ramesh Taurani miffed.
Says an upset Ramesh Taurani “I have been a part of the Hindi cinema industry for 25 years. I have made several blockbusters. But I have never faced a situation like this before. Our directors and the other actors are extremely annoyed with her. Tips as a company in its last 25 years has never had a dispute with anyone in this industry, there is no single case in the association which involves us, it will be very sad and uncalled for if matters go to that level”
After having completed a week of shooting, the actress backed out at the last minute upon being offered a Hollywood project. What left the producer even more upset is the fact that he was among the last of know of her decision.
Confirms Taurani “January 27, people kept calling me asking whether Deepika was out of Race 2. I was clueless. I called her and asked her. She simply said that she would come to my office by 5 pm with her new manager to work out everything. At around 3 pm, she called to say that she wouldn’t be able to keep the appointment. However, her manager would be present on her behalf. Finally, when the manager arrived, he simply told me that Deepika wouldn’t be able to do our film. And that’s because she is doing a major Hollywood project.”
Citing her unavailability to not having dates and being over-committed to other projects, the actress also seemed indifferent to the developments after having left the film in the lurch.
“I went to her shooting. We tried to reason it out with her. But she refused to even listen. Forget about anything else, she did not even apologize for her action. She seems to have no remorse” adds a livid Taurani.
Produced by Tips ,the action thriller Race 2 was scheduled for a November release.
