Anushka Sharma's Chakda ‘Xpress stuck in limbo after Netflix fallout? Film's writer and editor reveal the reason
The Anushka Sharma-starrer Chakda 'Xpress, based on the life of Indian cricketer Jhulan Goswami, was supposed to mark her acting comeback after a long hiatus following the 2018 debacle Zero. However, Chakda 'Xpress, which was slated for release in 2023, remains stuck in limbo. In a recent interaction, the film's editor Manas Mittal and writer Abhishek Banerjee revealed the reason behind the delay, citing the fallout between Netflix and Clean Slate Filmz as the key factor keeping the film in perpetual limbo.
During an interaction with The Hollywood Reporter India, Mittal shared that Chakda 'Xpress was supposed to release in 2023 before the World Cup, but its release was stalled. The report stated that the film faced trouble from the word 'go.' The film's first schedule was written in April 2020, but the COVID-19 lockdown thwarted those plans. During the lockdown, Anushka announced her pregnancy, the film's producer pulled out of the project, and its director, Prosit Roy, got busy with Paatal Lok.
In 2022, however, the film got a new lease on life after Netflix came on board, and the film's format was changed to suit OTT viewing. The streaming platform didn't demand any changes to the film's script, revealed the film's writer Abhishek Banerjee. After Vamika's birth, Anushka underwent seven months of training for the film.
Things went south after Netflix released a teaser for the film that wasn't cut from the actual footage but was taken from a look test that Anushka did for an agency. The teaser was widely panned by audiences. 'The scary part is that this teaser is the publicly available material from Chakda 'Xpress. Our film, though, has nothing to do with that,' Abhishek told THR.
The debacle surrounding the teaser's release resulted in growing tension between Clean Slate Filmz and Netflix. For the unversed, Clean Slate Filmz is a production company established by Anushka and her brother Karnesh Ssharma. However, in 2022, Anushka stepped away from her production company.
This was followed by Clean Slate Filmz and Netflix parting ways. While 'creative disagreements' and 'budgetary issues' are rumoured to be the reason for the fallout, neither entity has issued an official statement clarifying the situation. Not just Chakda 'Xpress, but another collaboration between them, Afghaani Snow, which stars Vijay Varma and Triptii Dimri, is also stuck in limbo due to the fallout. THR also stated that for these two films to release, Clean Slate Filmz would need to buy them out first. However, since Anushka has stepped away from the production house and taken a long break from acting after the birth of her children, the interest seems to have waned.
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During the interaction, the film's editor Manas Mittal shared that he did manage to show the film to Jhulan Goswami, who teared up after watching it. He said, 'My biggest victory, though, is that we had the privilege of showing the film to Jhulan di last year. She was moved to tears. I told her, 'I hope we have done justice to the sport you have played, at least — if not you. She said she was proud of how we have shown cricket. That was my biggest takeaway.'
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