Did Saiyaara star Aneet Padda replace Kiara Advani in Shakti Shalini horror-comedy? Makers release statement

Aneet Padda has been on fire ever since Saiyaara made her an overnight sensation, and naturally, everyone’s been wondering what she will do next. Recently, chatter exploded that she was set to lead Dinesh Vijan’s next big project from the Maddock Horror-Comedy Universe, Shakti Shalini. Fans were already casting their votes between Aneet and Kiara Advani (whose name has been linked to the project before). But hold your ghost emojis — the makers have spoken.

On Friday, Maddock Films took to Instagram with a film post, shutting down the speculation:

“While we love the excitement around our horror-comedy universe, any reports about casting — for Shakti Shalini, Maha Munjya, or future chapters — are purely speculative. Please wait for our official announcements.”

Moreover, industry insiders say Aneet has indeed been in talks for over two months, with Dinesh Vijan reportedly impressed by her Saiyaara performance and keen to inject fresh energy into the MHCU. Kiara, meanwhile, was spotted at the Maddock office earlier this year — but no deal was ever confirmed.

The MHCU, for the uninitiated, kicked off with the blockbuster Stree (2018) and grew with Bhediya (2022) and the record-breaking Stree 2 (Rs 857.15 crore worldwide!). Next up is Thama, dropping this Diwali with a power-packed cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Paresh Rawal.

Maddock might be keeping its cards close for now, but if Aneet does snag the lead in Shakti Shalini, she could be the universe’s next scream queen — and we are so here for it.