Why Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt’s Takht was shelved: Co-star explains the ‘Medieval Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’

In 2019, Karan Johar unveiled Takht, a historical epic that promised betrayal, bloodlines and a battle for the Mughal throne, all wrapped in glossy Dharma Productions scale. The plan was that the cameras would roll in 2020, a massive ensemble would descend onto set, and Bollywood would get its next big period spectacle. The film was meant to star Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor.

Now, actor Mahir Pandhi, who was attached to the project, has opened up about why the film never made it past the starting line.

In a conversation with Mid-Day, he pointed to the near-impossible logistics of bringing together such a high-profile ensemble, especially after COVID disrupted industry schedules. He said, "Takht was not a normal film. It was Mr Yash Johar’s last dream project and had a historic connection to it. When you write a script based on history, you can’t change the facts. Once COVID happened, it became extremely difficult to bring together so many actors and align their dates. Even if you wanted to plan it two years later, it would have been impossible to get the entire cast together."

On paper, Takht was a large-scale historical drama set in the final years of Emperor Shah Jahan’s reign. The story focused on the power struggle between Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb.

Karan Johar had described it as “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in medieval times”, a line that drew both interest and debate at the time.

The project was reported to be mounted on a budget of around Rs 250 crore, with filming originally planned to begin in March 2020 and a release targeted for December 2021.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schedules and delayed production. Over time, the project did not move forward, despite continued speculation about its revival.

For now, Takht remains an ambitious idea that never went into production.