The whispers have been doing the rounds for a while but it has now been confirmed that Shraddha Kapoor will not star in the Saina Nehwal biopic. The film will be directed by Amol Gupte and actress Parineeti Chopra has joined the cast after Kapoor reportedly walked out of the film.

“We want to wrap up Saina by this year-end for an early 2020 release, so going ahead with the project is a decision taken by mutual consent. We are glad Parineeti has come on board for the film. Saina has made every Indian proud and we can’t wait to take her story to the world in the year of the Olympics,” T- Series owner Bhushan Kumar confirmed the same in an official statement to Mumbai Mirror.

“It’s a part of my personality, but as an actress, one that I have not explored so far. I’m delighted to get an opportunity to portray a strong and powerful girl like Saina who put our country on the world map. I am excited to put in all the training and hard work that comes with learning the game and portraying Saina on screen,” Chopra told the newspaper.

According to a report in Filmfare, Kapoor walked out of the film as she wasn’t able to give enough time considering her other projects. She is currently working on Chhichhore with Sushant Singh Rajput and Street Dancer 3D with Varun Dhawan. The actress will also be seen opposite Tiger Shroff in Baaghi 3 and will star opposite Prabhas in Saaho.

(Header credits: Saina Nehwal and Parineeti Chopra’s Instagram)