The 60-year-old Bollywood diva was apparently not happy with the way her role had shaped up in the movie. But there is not much clarity on what prompted the actress to leave the film after most of the shooting was already complete.
"Haider" star Tabu has replaced Rekha in the film that centres around Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapoor's characters.
"Tabu has given some incredible performances in 'Maqbool', 'The Namesake' and 'Haider' to name a few. She is an actress who has always accepted challenges and I am honoured to have her in my film," Kapoor said in a statement without commenting on Rekha's exit.
"Tabu is a performance powerhouse and after our association with her on 'The Namesake' and most recently on 'Haider', we are looking forward to working with her again on 'Fitoor'," said Amrita Pandey from UTV in a statement.
This is not the first time that the film has been embroiled in controversy. Earlier, Kapoor wanted his "Kai Po Che" star Sushant Singh Rajput to play the male lead but that did not materialise.
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