Not just ‘Brahmastra’, here are 5 other Bollywood films that took ages to complete

From pre-production to shooting and editing, making a film is no cakewalk. While some movies take just a few months to make, there are a handful films that have been in production for several years due to certain complications which in turn leads to delay in its release.

Here are some popular movies that took a fairly long production time.

‘Brahmastra’

Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor starrer, which has been one of the most anticipated movies of this year, went on floors in 2018. Director Ayan Mukerji announced the film wrap after concluding the three-day Varanasi schedule in March 2022. Sharing a photo with the actors, Ayan revealed that the film's shoot came to an end after five long years.
‘And finally… It’s a Wrap! 5 years since we took our first shot on Brahmāstra, and we’ve finally filmed our last one! Absolutely incredible, challenging, once-in-a-lifetime journey!!! Some hand of destiny that we finished the shoot of ‘Part One: Shiva’ in Varanasi - a city infused with the spirit of Shiv Bhagwan, and that too at the most sacred Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, allowing us to finish in an atmosphere of purity, joy, and blessings! Exciting days ahead, last lap ahead! 09.09.2022 - Here we come!,’ he wrote.
The film was scheduled to release in 2019 but the pandemic delayed their plans.

‘Pakeezah’

Directed by Kamal Amrohi, the film starred Meena Kumar, Raaj Kumar, and Ashok Kumar in the lead roles. As per the Economic Times report, the film went on the floors in 1956. However, the movie was reportedly completed in November 1971 and released a year later on February 4. The shoot was delayed due to several reasons including Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari’s separation.

‘Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam’

The film, starring Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan, reportedly went on floors in 1996 and its shoot was completed after 4 years in 2000. As per a report in Variety, a few scenes were reshot ahead of the movie’s release on May 24, 2002.

‘Jagga Jasoos’

The musical adventure comedy, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, reportedly hit the floors in 2013 and it was initially expected to release in 2015. However, the Anurag Basu directorial was reshot a couple of times and it managed to hit the theatres on July 14, 2017. As per reports, Ranbir’s busy schedule and other work commitments also caused delay in the completion of the shoot.

‘Bajirao Mastani’

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra, took 12 years to make. The filmmaker told DNA, ‘I took 12 years to make Bajirao Mastani. I waited nine years to make Ram Leela and I had to wait eight years from the time I did Padmavati, the opera on stage, in Paris to get to the film. I’ve enjoyed making these movies so much. They were very challenging. How to put things into a big frame and how to spend money are things that I’m obsessing about all the time’.

‘Laal Singh Chaddha’

The film, starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, apparently took 14 years to make. In his podcast, titled ‘Laal Singh Chaddha Ki Kahaniyaan’, Aamir revealed that making this film has been quite a journey. Actor-writer Atul Kulkarni proposed an Indian adaptation of ‘Forrest Gump’ in 2008 and post that Aamir approached the makers of the Hollywood classic to acquire the rights, which was almost a decade-long process. Besides the pandemic, the actor revealed that the scripting of the film and extensive work on VFX also resulted in the postponement of the movie.

Also watch| ‘Brahmastra’: Ranbir’s film delivers a ‘massive opening of ₹ 75 crores gross at the Box office’