Filmmaker Ramesh Taurani is upset with actress Deepika Padukone for opting out of his Race 2 at the last moment following an offer for a Hollywood project and rues that she didn't even apologise for her hasty retreat. "I went to her shooting. We tried to reason it out with her. But she refused to even listen. Forget about anything else, she did not even apologise for her action. She seems to have no remorse" Taurani said in a statement.
The filmmaker says he is facing such crisis for the first time. "I have been part of the Hindi cinema industry for 25 years. I have made several blockbusters. But I have never faced a situation like this before. Our directors and other actors are extremely annoyed with her," Taurani said in a statement.
"Tips as a company in its last 25 years has never had a dispute with anyone. There is no single case in the association which involves us, it will be very sad and uncalled for if the matter goes to that level," he added. The actress, who had shot for a week for the film, is said to have backed out after being approached for a Hollywood project. Taurani was left fuming after learning that he was among the last to know about her decision.
"On January 27 people kept calling me asking whether Deepika was out of Race 2. I was clueless. I called her and asked her. She simply said that she would come to my office by 5 p.m. with her new manager to work out everything. At around 3 p.m., she called to say that she wouldn't be able to keep the appointment. However, her manager would be present on her behalf," said Taurani.
"Finally, when the manager arrived, he simply told me that Deepika wouldn't be able to do our film. And that's because she is doing a major Hollywood project," he added. Earlier, Sonakshi Sinha had walked out of the multi-starrer film and was replaced by Jaqueline Fernandes. The star cast of the film also includes Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Ameesha Patel.