AR Rahman opts out of Chiranjeevi’s Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy; cites scheduling conflict

After returning with a bang in Khaidi No 150 earlier this year on the back of a long hiatus, megastar Chiranjeevi is gearing up for the highly anticipated Telugu period drama, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, an epic story of Kurnool-based freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. With the project slated to go on the floors later this year or in early 2018, the team has faced its first major setback as its composer AR Rahman has confirmed his exit from the project. Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad a few hours before his concert, Rahman said that he had to opt out of the project due to other commitments. “I was looking forward to working on this project but things didn’t work out as per my schedule. Even though I wanted to work on this project, things didn’t work in my favour as there’s only a certain amount of work one can take up.” [caption id=“attachment_4229647” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  The Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy team has faced its first major setback as composer AR Rahman has exited the project[/caption] There were rumours that Rahman opted out of the project due to remuneration issues. However, when we did some digging, those reports were rubbished by a reliable source from the film’s unit. “Rahman sir opted out of the project due to his other commitments which he had signed even before agreeing to work on this project. Since the shoot was getting delayed and the dates were clashing with his other commitments, he was left with no other option than to back out. It was a mutual decision and the makers respected his move as he informed them even before going on the floors. The team is yet to find a replacement but they hope to finalise someone in the next couple of weeks,” the source said. This is the second time the shoot has been deferred following the exit of someone from the team. Not long ago, the team had to postpone shoot after cinematographer Ravi Varman chose to walk out of the film. The project was announced with much fanfare in August earlier this year and the first poster and motion poster were subsequently released. After Baahubali, it is tipped to be the most exciting multi-starrer to come out of southern cinema. On signing the project, Chiranjeevi had said it was his long-time desire to play a historic character.  Earlier this year, on his show Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu, he regretted missing out an opportunity to play legendary Bhagat Singh. “It has always been my dream to play Bhagat Singh. Despite being offered the role back then, I couldn’t play it for several reasons and it was later played by several of my counterparts. It was played by several actors across languages. I regret missing out on an opportunity to play the role because I don’t think anyone wants to make a film on him today,” Chiranjeevi said. To be directed by Surender Reddy, the film will be made on a whopping budget of Rs 150 crore and will be produced by Ram Charan. The film features Amitabh Bachchan, Kichcha Sudeep, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi and Jagapathi Babu in important roles. It is rumoured that Bachchan senior will be seen playing an extended cameo as Chiranjeevi’s guru, a character very important from the story’s perspective.