Filmmaker Mohit Suri has revealed that he was developing the third instalment in the Aashiqui film franchise, with plans to direct it, before the studio replaced him with Anurag Basu.

Basu is currently working on a romantic musical drama starring Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela, although the film is yet to be titled.

In an interview with YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra, Suri said he believes this decision was taken partly due to the box office failures of his recent films Malang and Ek Villain Returns.

“They (makers) were in a rush, but I said that I wouldn’t announce the film before I’ve written the script. They said they would move on to another director, I said it’s fine. So they moved on to Anurag, who I really look up to,” he said.

“I don’t blame them, it’s business at the end of the day,” the filmmaker added.

Recalling the difficult time, Suri admitted that he was under a lot of pressure and allowed others’ opinions to heavily influence his choices. “Never listen to anybody when you’re low, because they’ll push you further down,” he shared.

Talking about Ek Villain Returns, Suri added, “In that greed to reach that box office success, and to hit that Rs 16 crore opening that Ek Villain had given me, I wanted to feel that high again. I was playing it safe, and making the film for the wrong reasons.”

Suri added that following the success of Saiyaara, he does not regret not being part of projects like Aashiqui 3 or Awarapan 2. He also said that without the original cast, Aashiqui 3 will not retain the essence of the franchise.

Aashiqui 2, which released in theatres in 2013 featured Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead roles.