Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Why Jagga Jasoos is in trouble

February 23, 2016 11:36 IST

Ranbir, KatrinaThe story of how Jagga Jasoos got itself into a deadlock makes for a movie script itself.

When the film was announced two years ago, the Ranbir Kapoor-Anurag Basu-UTV trio were seen as a winning team after Barfi!.

Basu suggested an out-of-the-box venture, with Katrina Kaif playing the female lead.

When Jagga Jasoos was announced, Ranbir and Katrina were very much in love. 

When the project was put together, Ranbir -- who had since his debut in Saawariya acquired a reputation for unorthodox stardom -- grabbed the opportunity to do a detective movie that would age him from 18 to 40.

Ranbir even turned co-producer for the film.

Then, the team got even more ambitious.

They decided to do a no-holds-barred musical, like The Sound Of Music and My Fair Lady, where the characters converse in music.

After 30 percent of the shooting was done, the team decided the musical format was not working. So they undid the entire shooting, scrapped what was shot and re-shot in the normal format.

Incidentally, Anurag Basu’s Barfi! had also undergone some substantial re-shooting. 

Now, with the fall-out between Ranbir and Kat, Jagga Jasoos is on the verge of collapse.

Reveals a source in the know, "Ranbir and Katrina have tried to be professional about it but the shooting is not working out. The biggest loser in this whole tangle of the personal and professional are UTV, who have invested a substantial amount of money. They stand to lose close to Rs 30 crores if Jagga Jasoos is shelved. With two back-to-back under-performing films Tamasha and Fitoor, this is a financial blow that UTV could do without."

Subhash K Jha