India's biggest film had seven superstars, Rs 250-crore budget, was killed by online trolls, director went underground

It was just four years ago but the pre-pandemic era seems like a lifetime ago. The era was before the OTT boom marked  tectonic shift in how films are released in theatres. And it was also before the #BoycottBollywood trend took over the internet. In that time, a filmmaker had announced what was being called the biggest film in India ever. A teaser was even released, and yet, the film never hit the floors.

India’s biggest film with seven superstars

In February 2020, barely a month before the lockdowns were put in place, Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions announced the director’s ambitious project – Takht. The director described it very cheekily as ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in the Mughal era’. The period family drama was a fictionalised account of the power struggle between the sons of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan - Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh. Apart from Vicky Kaushal and Ranveer Singh as the two brothers at war, the film also starred Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor in the main roles, along with Bhumi Pednekar. The film was reported to have a massive Rs 250-crore budget and was slated to release on December 24, 2021. The announcement was done with a release date teaser, featuring Vicky and Ranveer’s voices.

How online trolls destroyed Takht

The pandemic and the lockdowns were still a new thing when the sudden death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput changed the landscape of Bollywood. Media frenzy around his death raised issues like nepotism and the insider vs outsider debate in Bollywood. This led to a vicious campaign against several ‘star kids’ and ‘insiders’ in Bollywood on social media. Karan Johar was at the forefront of the receiving end of these attacks. The #BoycottBollywood trend began as a backlash against nepotism in the industry and soon became a tool to target him and other insiders. Irked by the harassment, the filmmaker quit Twitter and went incognito for some time.

This, combined with the lockdowns, delayed the production of Takht. After the entire years was wasted, the film never went on floors. The fact that there were four star kids in the film meant that it was always on the receiving end of negative publicity. Eventually, Karan Johar moved on to another project - Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, which released in 2023 to grand success at the box office.

Will Takht ever release?

Karan Johar has mentioned on more than one occasion that Takht has not been shelved but just delayed. While promoting Rocky Aur Rani in 2023, the director said in interviews that he intends to get Takht back on track after Rocky Aur Rani. However, there has been no movement in that direction so far. The fate of the period epic remains uncertain.

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