Just days after Priyanka Chopra stunned everyone by her spectacular walkout of Salman Khan-starrer Bharat, more details have emerged on the reason why the Quantico actor may have decided to quit the mega project.
Although, the tweet by Bharat director Ali Abbas Zafar may have given an impression that Priyanka had quit the film because of her engagement, Bollywood insiders have rubbished the theories. The news of engagement being the reason did not make sense since Roy Kapur Films announced that she was shooting with Farhan Akhtar the day she had walked out of Bharat.
A report by DNA said that Priyanka’s original expectation from Bharat was a fee of Rs 13-14 crore. She was hoping to get Rs 12 crore.
“However, in the case of Bharat, she was allegedly being paid Rs 6.5 cr. Yet, she seemed unhappy with this arrangement,” said the report adding that Priyanka even raised the issue with her close friends within the Khan family.
The report quoted a source as saying, “However, the price she was to be paid was deliberated and decided on after checking the viability factor. After all, even her last outing Jai Gangaajal (2016) wasn’t anything to write home about. And paying her the double-digit figure, which she was reportedly asking for, would not be prudent.”
Priyanka was also not happy with the addition of two female casts Disha Patani and Nora Fatehi in the film. Salman himself had taken to social media earlier this year to announce the addition of Disha. While taking to Instagram, Salman had written, “Welcome @DishaPatani to the journey of @Bharat_TheFilm :)”
The DNA report quoting a source said that Priyanka was unhappy because when she was signed on, there were no mentions of ‘youngsters like Disha Patani and Nora Fatehi’ being a part of the ensemble.
“Of course, she was aware that other actresses were yet to be cast. But that it would be someone as young as Disha, who also got her fair share of publicity for bagging a role in Bharat, was something she hadn’t anticipated. PC, according to our source, needed to condition her mind to accept these additions,” it added.
Meanwhile, Katrina has joined the Team Bharat as Priyanka’s replacement. The news was confirmed by Ali Abbas. “I am extremely excited to work with Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan once again for Bharat. We have had exciting collaborations in the past and it is very interesting to work with the duo once again. It is very delightful to work with the immensely talented actress yet again.,” Ali Abbas was quoted by Hindustan Times.