While South Indian film industries are consistently producing mammoth-budget projects, Bollywood is still struggling to finance such ambitious productions. After Vicky Kaushal and Aditya Dhar's Ashwatthama and Shahid Kapoor’s film on the same subject were officially shelved, one more mythological project is heading towards abandonment.

PeepingMoon.com has exclusively learned that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Karna, starring Tamil superstar Suriya in the titular role, has been put on the backburner for the time being. The Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag director has temporarily stopped working on this two-part epic as he struggles to secure the budget of 600 crores required to mount this film. Temporarily, because Mehra still intends to make this film, having spent years researching and developing the screenplay to tell the legendary tale of Karna with historical accuracy and grandeur. 

Buzz in the trade circle also indicates that Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment is also reevaluating their plans to produce the film. The production cost has spiraled out of control, making it financially unfeasible for them. The producers have urged Mehra to significantly reduce the budget or they won’t be able to make it. Sources say Mehra has also started looking for new producers, but another hurdle he is facing lies in the casting of Suriya as Karna. The Tamil superstar has just delivered a massive flop with Kanguva, raising concerns among potential investors. The producers may now hesitate to back a project of this scale with Suriya in lead, especially what is a North India favorable mythology—the Mahabharata happened in Kurukshetra, which is in Delhi. 

In a way, Karna is facing the same challenges that Vicky Kaushal and Aditya Dhar's The Immortal Ashwatthama encountered before being shelved years later. Mehra has two options now: either compromise on his vision and reduce the budget or find a producer willing to bet on his dream project. Dhar opted for the second option and had to shelve the film, and Mehra is apparently following the same path. Whether he succeeds in making this epic or gives up eventually will be known in the coming times. Stay tuned to PeepingMoon for more updates!