Mukesh Chhabra On Sushant Singh Rajput's 'Dil Bechara' Sequel: Many Emotions Attached, Realised I Shouldn't Touch It

In January of this year, renowned casting director Mukesh Chhabra took to social media and teased the possibility of a sequel to ‘Dil Bechara,’ the film that marked his directorial debut. With a simple yet intriguing post that read ‘Dil Bechara 2,’ the internet was left buzzing with divided opinions. While some expressed excitement and anticipation for a potential sequel, others, particularly fans of the late actor, Sushant Singh Rajput, expressed strong disapproval.

Now, five months down the line, in a conversation with News18, the director cleared the air around the sequel, and revealed that he will not be making one. “Yes, I tweeted about it because I was genuinely planning on making ‘Dil Bechara 2.’ ‘Dil Bechara’ is a very special film for me because of so many emotions attached to it and, of course, Sushant. So, I realised that I shouldn’t touch that film,” he stated.

Based on John Green’s best-selling novel ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and its subsequent film adaptation, ‘Dil Bechara’ stars Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi in lead roles.

Talking about how he doesn’t want to capitalize on the film, Chhabra firmly stated, “I was making a film which I wanted to name ‘Dil Bechara 2’ but that title will always belong to Sushant. I don’t want to use that name. I don’t want to cash on that film ever now. I want to keep its beauty intact.”

The 2020 film, which tragically became the actor’s last movie and premiered just a month after his tragic demise, has a special place in the director’s heart. Not only was it their first collaboration as an actor-director duo, but it was also during the production of this film that they engaged in creative discussions and brainstormed on numerous other script ideas.

“I also wanted to work with Sushant on three-four other films. It was my dream. When it comes to even casting, Imtiaz (Ali) and I’ve worked on so many films. Sometimes, we like repeating our own people because we’re more comfortable with and understand each other well. But Sushant had other plans. And we can’t beat that [fate],” he went on to add.

On June 14, 2020, Rajput was found dead in his home in Bandra, Mumbai at the age of 34.