Never approached Disha Patani for Mission Mangal, confirms Akshay Kumar

Actor-producer Akshay Kumar on Monday confirmed that Disha Patani was never approached for his upcoming film, Mission Mangal, which went on floors last week. Reports were doing the rounds that Disha, last seen opposite Tiger Shroff in Baaghi 2, had walked out of Mission Mangal after coming on board for the film. 

"Disha Patani was not a part of Mission Mangal. She was never approached for the film. You should ask me since I'm the producer," Akshay said while promoting his upcoming release, 2.0, in Mumbai.

Based on India's 2014 Mars Orbital Mission, Mission Mangal highlights the achievements of women scientists working at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Besides Akshay, the film stars Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Kriti Kulhari and Sharman Joshi. 

Mission Mangal is co-produced by Fox Star Studios and Cape of Good Films. The film is directed by Jagan Shakti. 

The project courted controversy last week when US-based filmmaker Radha Bhardwaj filed a lawsuit at the Bombay High Court claiming that the film infringes on the copyright of her 2016 screenplay, Space MOMs, which is also based on the same subject. However, producer R Balki soon denied any instance of plagiarism in the screenplay of Mission Mangal and said that films based on real-life events often invite claimants. 

Besides 2.0 and Mission Mangal, Akshay Kumar will also be seen in the historical war film, Kesari, and the comedy entertainer, Housefull 4. He has also greenlit a film alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan titled Good News, and an upcoming biopic on emperor Prithviraj Chauhan.