Fatima Sana Shaikh to replace Kangana Ranaut in Rajkummar Rao’s Imali?

Rajkummar Rao and Kangana Ranaut are all set to entertain us with the comedy Mental Hai Kya. The movie is all set to release soon. But even before that, we had heard that Raj and Kangana were going to collaborate for another movie! Yes, the actors had mentioned to the media that they would be sharing screen space in Anurag Basu’s Imali. However, looks like that’s no longer happening. In fact, Fatima Sana Shaikh has been roped in as Kangana’s replacement. So as it stands, Kangana is out and Fatima is in for the Anurag Basu-directorial!

As a source reveals to us exclusively, “While Rajkummar and Kangana were excited to collaborate for Anurag Basu’s Imali, it won’t be happening. The actress has been replaced by Fatima Sana Shaikh after Kangana walked out.” Apparently, Kangana has walked out owing to a date issue. She revealed in a media statement today (April 3) that with the delay of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, she is now preoccupied with Panga. She also has the Jayalalithaa biopic and her own solo directorial debut in her kitty. Imali was supposed to have taken off last year. But with her not being able to give dates, she decided to let it go! However, there’s another side to the story too!

Check out Kangana Ranaut’s prep for Panga right here:

It's Time for #Kabbadi

Ahead of #Panga schedule, Kangana engrossed in Kabaddi Practice.#Rehearsal #Dedication #KanganaRanaut pic.twitter.com/R7wYMcKm1D

— Team Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaFanClub) March 30, 2019

While the date issues led to Kangana exiting the film, there’s a small section in the industry who are thinking otherwise. People have been wondering if the numerous controversies surrounding her had anything to do with the exit. Obviously no director would want a controversy around their film, right? And that is also being suggested as a reason for her ouster from Imali. However, the fact that Anurag and Kangana have collaborated successfully in the past washes out this buzz! Either way, Kangana’s replacement in the film, Fatima, is a talented star. Her fresh pairing with Rajkummar Rao would be also looked forward to. In fact, these two in a romantic drama will be really interesting to watch! Share your thoughts about this development in the comments section below!