3 min readKochiMar 10, 2026 11:16 AM IST Back in April 2014, a report surfaced that legendary director Shekhar Kapur’s highly anticipated futuristic film Paani was finally set to go on floors after being in limbo for over a decade. With Sushant Singh Rajput replacing Hrithik Roshan as the male lead, it appeared that the decks had been cleared for the film — set in 2050, where people are reeling under an acute water shortage — to go into production. However, almost 12 years have passed since then, and it’s been over half a decade since Sushant passed away, yet Paani has yet to see the light of day. During a recent conversation, Kapur opened up further about the project and why Yash Raj Films (YRF) pulled the plug on Paani. “I couldn’t even start Paani’s production (unlike some other films of Kapur that were shelved midway). By the time YRF decided that they wouldn’t cast Sushant, I had already been rehearsing with him for six months. After hearing their decision, I went back to …