Vicky Kaushal’s magnum opus, The Immortal Ashwatthama, is having a hard road to realisation. The film, initially slated to roll in 2021, was put on hold due to logistical issues borne out of the pandemic. Earlier this year, Jio Studios came on board to revive the sci-fi epic with roots in mythology. In August, however, mid-day reported that producer Ronnie Screwvala had downsized the budget of Aditya Dhar’s ambitious directorial venture to under R200 crore, in the wake of Bollywood’s post-pandemic dry spell (One superhero will decide fate of next, Aug 31). Now, it is learnt that the producer has exited the project. “We aren’t doing the film anymore. It is with Jio Studios now,” said a source close to Screwvala’s banner RSVP Movies. 

Ronnie Screwvala and Aditya Dhar