Irrfan says he pulled out of Welcome To Karachi way before the mahurat

Refuting media reports that he ditched VashuBhagnani at the nth hour and walked out of Welcome To Karachi after attending the mahurat, Irrfan reveals that he had amicably parted ways with the producer owing to creative differences way before.
Therefore, he is surprised to be caught in the eye of this ‘uncalled for’ storm since he had also returned the money to Bhagnani.Says Irrfan, “I had been involved with the script since a year and a half, when Vashuji came on board as the producer. He wanted to start immediately, but I felt we were under prepared. I suggested we delay the shoot to plan things as it’s a character-based film and needs good actors, who can get the Karachi accent right. I didn’t think we were ready with the climax either. But Vashuji was impatient.”
Later, says Irrfan, Bhagnani told him, “I am okay if you do or don’t do the film.” Adds the actor, “Those were his exact words that prompted me to walk away from the project. Later, I even agreed to do a cameo in the film, though I wouldn’t have gained anything from it.”
READ: Irrfan refuses to join the shoot at the last minute
Irrfan, thus, found it strange when it was reported that he’d left Bhagnani ‘high and dry in London’ where the shoot was scheduled to start. “I messaged him to check if he had indeed made the statement about me leaving him ‘high and dry’, but he didn’t respond. That made me think he must have said that,” concludes Irrfan.
Vashu Bhagnani reacts:
If you are not doing the film, you return the money. But dates ki bhi value hai.
When we contacted Vashu Bhagnani for his take, the producer agreed that Irrfan had expressed his reservations about the project. He says, “Irrfan is not wrong at all. I mean no disrespect to him. He did convey that he had creative differences, but he should have told me about it at least a month in advance. Why should a producer suffer? I had paid the actors and international crew well in advance, and even booked locations in London. I must have invested three crore already. We had to start the shoot on September 11. And he told me on the night of September 4, just a day before the mahurat that he needed more time.” Bhagnani also admitted that he had hoped that Irrfan would change his mind and return to the project.
He also acknowledged that Irrfan returned the fee to him. “If you are not doing the film, you return the money. But dates ki bhi value hai. This film was to start in March and the schedule has been changed twice already. I couldn’t delay the shoot any further also because it gets extremely cold in London post October. ”
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