On September 19, 2020, when showbiz was just stirring back to life after the lockdown, PeepingMoon.com had surprised you with the news that Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan was planning a larger-than-life OTT debut. And he had chosen to make it with Disney +Hotstar’s adaptation of the British mini-series The Night Manager. He was reportedly being paid an astronomical sum. In the vicinity of Rs. 75 crore, sources said, and had okayed the project and was supposed to begin shooting in March this year.
Now all that has changed. And the buzz is that Hrithik is not doing The Night Manager after all. The reason for the abrupt change in his web debut plan is unknown. But the grapevine has it that the actor was reportedly uncomfortable with the long schedules and had date problems. The shoot stands cancelled. The crew is said to be most unhappy. They had supposedly turned down other meaty projects just to be a part of this mini-series. Now they are back to hunting for work with the fear of a second Covid wave and lockdown on the horizon.
There is much speculation over why Hrithik pulled out of The Night Manager. It is his favourite show. And he had been seriously thinking of venturing into the digital world with something that would appeal to a worldwide audience. So when Disney +Hotstar approached him with The Night Manager, everything sort of fell in place. The British mini-series was directed by Susanne Bier and co-produced by Hrithik’s Mission Kashmir, Koi Mil Gaya and Lakshya co-star Preity Zinta.
