Like Brahmastra, Other Indian Films That Took Years To Complete

Brahmastra has been in talks since its makers announced its name. The film broke the internet with the first look of its star cast and trailer. It is set to release in September 2022. However, it has been in the making since 2018, and it is not the only Bollywood film that took its sweet time to complete. Here is a list of other famous Indian films that took far too long to appear on the big screen.

Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam

Image Courtesy: IMDb

Directed and written by K. S. Adhiyaman, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam has started its production in 1996. The cast and crew completed shooting in 2000, and the film got released in 2002.

Starring Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Shah Rukh Khan, the film face several problems during production. Its initial star cast included Juhi Chawla, Sunny Deol and Aamir Khan in the lead.

The movie earned around ₹1.40 crores on its opening day, and it performed like an average film at the Box Office. The love triangle in the film could not appeal to the audience as well as the critic. The Times Of India wrote, "The film is a ready reckoner for everything that should be avoided in a good film.”

Pakeezah

Pakeezah is a 1972 Indian Hindustani-language musical romantic drama whose idea was birthed in the mid-1950s. The principal photography of the film started in 1956. It was initially to be made in black-white colours. However, at the request of the female lead, Meena Kumari, filmmaker Kamal Amrohi started making it in colours.

Kumari and Amrohi got married in 1952 and separated in 1964. By then, ₹4 million were already spent on the film. The filming got highly affected by the stardom of Meena Kumari in the 1950s.

However, in 1969, Kumari returned to the sets of Pakeezah and filming resumed. The movie was completed in November 1971. Editing for this masterpiece took another month. The movie received mixed reviews; however, it remains to be one of the most popular Indian films due to its story, star cast and music.

Gangubai Kathiawadi

Image Courtesy: Alia Bhatt/Instagram

The making of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi had been in talks since 2017. Did you know that the initial choice for the lead was Priyanka Chopra instead of Alia Bhatt? In 2019, this news was confirmed by the global star herself.

The initial name of the movie was Heera Mandi, which is another project of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. However, in 2019, Alia Bhatt replaced Priyanka Chopra and started principal photography in the Mumbai Film City.

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the production of the film was put on hold in March 2020. The film was released earlier this year on February 16 and has entered the ₹100crore club. It was released in the Hindi language and has been dubbed in Telugu. The film has been surrounded by several controversies.

Baahubali: The Beginning

Baahubali: The Beginning is yet another masterpiece of S. S. Rajamouli. The director announced in February 2011 regarding working with Prabhas on an undisclosed title. In January 2013, he announced Baahubali. Its pre-production time expands over a year.

It had over 15,000 storyboard sketches, and more than 90% of shots in the film were visually enhanced. The film was released in 2015 and was a stellar hit throughout the country.

The Hindi-dubbed version of the film became one of the highest-grossing dubbed films in the country. The worldwide collection of the movie was over ₹550 crores. At the time of its release, Baahubali was the most expensive Indian film.

RRR

Image Courtesy: Alia Bhatt/Instagram

The recent film of S. S. Rajamouli has been in talks since October 2017. In November 2017, the director hinted at the inclusion of Ram Charan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr. in one of his films through a social media post.

In March 2018, the tentative title of the film, RRR, was announced. In March 2019, Rajamoule finalised the cast of this big-budget film, marking the Telugu debut of Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgan.

The final copy of the film was ready for release in November 2021. However, it got released on March 25, 2022. The film received positive reviews, and its worldwide earning stands at ₹223 crores.

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Bajirao Mastani

After the release of Devdas in 2002, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted to make Bajirao Mastani. He even announced the project in 2003 and said the shooting would begin in 2004. The film got shelved

Many renowned personalities in the industry thought that the movie would never be made. But, Bhansali revived the project in 2014. He was excited to “tell a 200-year-old story.” Since it was a periodic drama love story on which not much has been documented in history; therefore, the makers and writers had cinematic liberties to craft the masterpiece.

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Its initial casting included Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai. According to reports from 2014, Ajay Devgan was also approached for the film. However, the star cast was confirmed in July 2014. The film got released in December 2015.

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