Katrina Kaif has dropped out of Remo D’Souza’s upcoming dance film starring Varun Dhawan, citing a scheduling clash with the Salman Khan-starrer Bharat, as the reason for her exit. 

"Katrina had to opt out of Remo D'Souza's upcoming dance film owing to her hectic schedule for Bharat. She has always been a thorough professional, and she decided to step out of the film as the dates were clashing with Bharat, which she is currently shooting for," Katrina’s spokesperson said in a statement. 

It was announced earlier this year that Varun Dhawan — who starred in ABCD 2 opposite Shraddha Kapoor — would be reuniting with Remo D’Souza for another dance film, with Katrina as the female lead. Other cast members of the yet-to-be-titled film included Prabhudeva, Dharmesh Yelande, Raghav Juyal and Punit Pathak. Produced by T-Series, the project was touted to be India’s biggest 4D dance film, with a tentative release slot marked around November 2019. It’s unclear at the moment who will be stepping in as Katrina’s replacement. 

Bharat, an official adaptation of the South Korean drama Ode to My Father, is directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. The film is slated for release on June 5, 2019.