Tahir Raj Bhasin replaces Pakistani actor Ali Zafar in Dear Zindagi'?

Mumbai: All is not well between Pakistani actor Ali Zafar and the makers of ‘Dear Zindagi’. Speculations are rife that Ali, who is rumoured to be one of Alia’s suitors in the movie, has been dropped owing to heightening tension circling around Pakistani actors working in India.

The film will see ‘psychiatrist’ Shah Rukh Khan imparting life lessons to a much perplexed Alia ‘Kaira’ Bhatt and Zafar was supposed to be one of the reasons behind her confused state of mind. But the ban on Pakistani actors has sealed Zafar’s fate.

Maharashtra Namvnirman Sena (MNS), after threatening to stop the release of films with Pakistani actors in them, have finally given their nod to those movies that have already been shot with a condition that the makers contribute 5 Cr to National Defence Fund as a mark of respect.

While Karan Johar obliged to MNS’s demand for a smooth release of his film ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, Farhan Akhtar has refused to pay anything to Indian Army for his film ‘Raees’ starring Pakistani actress Mahira Khan.

But unlike Farhan, the makers of ‘Dear Zindagi’ have made up their minds to take the safest route and drop Ali. “Ali Zafar has already been replaced in the film and he has been replaced with Tahir Raj Bhasin, Rani Mukerji’s nemesis from Mardaani,” confirmed a source to a leading daily.

“Yesterday, a dance shoot was underway of the film with Alia Bhatt and Tahir. It’s an Arijit Singh number,” added the source.

With Zafar losing this big banner film to political crisis, chances of his younger brother Danyal Zafar debuting in Bollywood are also very slim. Rumours are that Karan Johar was planning on launching Danyal in one of his upcoming films. But, with the way things are going, even that looks like a far-fetched dream.