Abhishek Bachchan replaces Shah Rukh Khan, Irrfan Khan for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next?

Abhishek Bachchan might have been roped in for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming project. It is one that Shah Rukh Khan was initially supposed to be a part of, followed by Irrfan Khan. After the two, it is now reported that Abhishek has landed the role of poet-activist-thinker Sahir Ludhianvi, which Sanjay Leela Bhansali is helming.

A report on Firstpost quotes a source saying that since Abhishek’s father aka megastar Amitabh Bachchan has already portrayed Sahir Ludhianvi on-screen through Kabhie Kabhie, thus SLB is confident that junior Bachchan can also pull it off. For the uninitiated, Kabhie Kabhie was inspired from Sahir Ludhianvi’s love for author Amrita Pritam.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali was working on the project since a long time and his first choice was Shah Rukh Khan, according to various reports. However, as the story aged, the project was then reportedly offered to Irrfan Khan.

Irrfan was supposedly a huge Sahir fan and even credited him for bringing about a change in how romantic songs are written. He believed that Sahir changed the ‘idiom and style of romantic expression.’

Unfortunately, due to Irrfan’s untimely demise, the lead actor had to be replaced. Now, the latest reports suggest that Abhishek might just fill in the shoes.

Meanwhile, back when Irrfan was still a part of the project, Priyanka Chopra Jonas was roped in to play Amrita. However, she is no longer associated with the project, according to the little birdies.

Interestingly enough, Abhishek was last seen in and as Bob Biswas (a character from Vidya Balan’s Kahaani, originally played by Saswata Chatterjee). The movie was backed by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment.