Four years after it was first announced, Farhan Akhtar says his road-trip drama Jee Le Zaraa is finally back in motion. The film, headlined by Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif, has been stuck for years because the team simply couldn’t get everyone in the same room — or on the same calendar.
Akhtar, who is directing the project, admitted the delay was mostly about dates. “It was traumatic trying to get the actors’ schedules,” he said, adding that the logjam has now cleared and the film is ready to restart.
The project was unveiled in August 2021 as a female-led companion of sorts to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, this time following three women on a road trip. Over time, speculation grew that the film had been shelved, especially as the lead cast took up new commitments around the world. Priyanka Chopra’s international schedule was the toughest to coordinate, according to a Deccan Chronicle report, but she has now carved out time for the shoot.
Finding the right male co-stars also slowed things down. Farhan, along with writers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, wanted three strong names opposite the leading trio, and that search dragged on longer than expected.
The cast’s personal lives changed during the break as well. Katrina Kaif welcomed a baby boy this November. Alia Bhatt became a mother in 2022, and Priyanka Chopra’s daughter Malti Marie was also born the same year. With those life changes now settled, the team says the film is back on track.
Priyanka Chopra had spoken about her excitement for the film back in 2021, recalling how the idea started with a late-night conversation about wanting to do a fresh, women-led Hindi movie. She, Alia and Katrina met early in 2020 — just before the pandemic — to lock the team, and said at the time that it felt like “the stars aligning.”
After years of stops and starts, that alignment finally seems to have arrived. Akhtar says the film will begin soon, giving fans of the long-delayed project something they’ve been waiting to hear: Jee Le Zaraa is happening.