Deepika's next to kick-start early next year

Though there is a lot of uncertainty around the release date of Deepika Padukone's upcoming costume-drama Padmavati, it is certain that the actress will start shooting for her next film, which is being referred to as Sapna Didi in media reports, early next year.

To be produced by Vishal Bharadwaj Pictures in association with KriArj Entertainment, the project reunites Padukone with Irrfan Khan after their critically and commercially successful film Piku, which came out in 2015.

Arjun N Kapoor of KriArj says, “First of all, let me clearly state this, there has been no announcement from Padmavati team’s end regarding the new release date. So it’s anyway premature to talk about it. We don’t have an idea when it will eventually release.”

Talking about his film with the actress, he says, “As it is, Deepika starts our film only around January end or February next year. We plan to begin shooting towards the end of January, but that can extend to February first week. So even if the film releases around that time and Deepika needs time off to promote the film, we will happily accommodate that. That isn’t a problem.”

Reportedly, the film is based on journalist S Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens Of Mumbai. Deepika plays gangster Sapna Didi in the movie. However, makers have denied all such reports.