Back in 2019, filmmaker Karan Johar announced Takht, one of the most ambitious projects of his career. Featuring a star-studded ensemble cast and mounted on a massive scale, the historical drama was scheduled to go on floors in 2020. However, the film was eventually shelved. Now, actor Mahir Pandhi, who was also part of the project, has revealed what led to the film being abandoned.
Why was Takht shelved? Mahir Pandhi reveals
Takht was envisioned as a magnum opus featuring Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Anil Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Janhvi Kapoor. In an interview with Mid-Day, Mahir revealed that coordinating the dates of so many actors became nearly impossible, which ultimately led to the project being shelved.
He said, “Takht was not a normal film. It was Mr Yash Johar’s last dream project and had a historic connection to it. When you write a script based on history, you can’t change the facts. Once COVID happened, it became extremely difficult to bring together so many actors and align their dates. Even if you wanted to plan it two years later, it would have been impossible to get the entire cast together.”
Speaking about how the film being shelved affected him personally, Mahir said, “And if you make Takht today, you would have to rewrite the script from scratch because the audience has changed. I was almost living that dream. I was being invited to parties, and they made me feel welcome. I was made to feel like a part of the film. If I look back, only I know how difficult it was to accept the fact that a Dharma film was not going to happen for me.”
About Takht
The period drama was centred on the struggle for power within the Mughal Empire towards the end of Emperor Shah Jahan’s reign. The story was expected to focus on the conflict between princes Alamgir (later Aurangzeb) and Dara Shikoh as they battled for the throne.
Karan Johar had famously described the film as “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in medieval times”, a statement that sparked mixed reactions.
The film’s cast included Anil Kapoor as Shah Jahan, Vicky Kaushal as Aurangzeb, Ranveer Singh as Dara Shikoh, Kareena Kapoor Khan as Jahanara Begum and Bhumi Pednekar as Roshanara Begum. Alia Bhatt was cast as Aurangzeb’s wife Dilras Banu Begum, while Janhvi Kapoor was set to play Dara Shikoh’s wife Nadira Banu Begum.
Mounted on a reported budget of ₹250 crore, Takht was scheduled to begin filming in March 2020, with a planned theatrical release in December 2021. However, the COVID-19 pandemic halted production, and despite repeated speculation about its revival, the project never moved forward.