JP Dutta on Abhishek opting out of Paltan: It’s too early to comment, the wound is too fresh

Right from the time it was announced, JP Dutta’s Paltan has been making news for more reasons than one. The film, yet another war drama from the director, after Border (1997), and LOC Kargil (2003), also marked Dutta’s comeback after over a decade. But when Dutta’s protégé Abhishek Bachchan, who was also supposed to come back to the big screen with Paltan, pulled out at the last minute, it became a talking point. The makers replaced Abhishek with actor Harshvardhan

Rane of Sanam Teri Kasam (2016) fame and finished the film.

When asked if Abhishek’s pulling out of the film affected his relationship with the actor and his illustrious family, Dutta says that it’s a very personal thing for him. So, will he do another film with Abhishek? “I don’t know,” Dutta continues after a pause, “For me to comment on this is too early because the wound is too fresh.”

Abhishek had made his foray into Bollywood with Dutta’s Refugee alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan in 2000. The director-actor duo then went on to collaborate on films such as LOC Kargil and Umrao Jaan (2006).

Coming back to Paltan and his 12-year break from films, Dutta says come what may, fighters never give up. The film-maker shares that the break he took after the Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan-starrer Umrao Jaan was not by choice. But now, he is happy to be back with a bang.

“Making films is my passion. So the [long] break that happened in between was not a result of my choice. It was more like when a batsman has a bad patch, that is when he faces quite a few bad innings, his performance is not up to the mark... So, what does he do? Works hard and bounces back. So here I am, I have bounced back,” he says.