Babil Khan’s exit puts hindi remake of Baby on hold, Govinda’s son Yashvardhan’s debut delayed

The Hindi remake of the Telugu hit Baby has been abruptly halted following Babil Khan’s sudden departure from the project. The film, which also marks the long-awaited Bollywood debut of Govinda’s son, Yashvardhan Ahuja, has now been put on hold indefinitely, as per reports.

Production halted on Baby remake after Babil walks out; makers to recast lead opposite debutante actress

Babil Khan, who was reportedly cast in the lead role originally played by Anand Deverakonda in the 2023 Telugu original, exited the project last week. His departure follows a public spat with director Sai Rajesh, best known for helming the original film. The fallout came shortly after Babil posted a series of emotional videos on social media, which led to widespread speculation and backlash.

Though Babil later clarified that his videos were ‘extremely misinterpreted’, the damage seemed to have been done. Sai Rajesh responded with a scathing note on Instagram Stories, accusing the actor of playing ‘sympathy games’ and demanding an apology. What followed was a short-lived digital clash, with Babil deleting his posts and eventually announcing his decision to step away from the film due to “unforeseen circumstances.” The actor also expressed his wish to prioritise self-care, leaving the production in limbo. According to insiders, the makers had already spent nearly six months finalising the female lead, a debutante, before the male lead had to be recast. This casting shake-up now presents a major delay. “It’s going to take a lot of time,” said a source. “As of now, the production is on hold, with no confirmed timeline for resuming.”

The film was initially slated to begin shooting on May 5 and is being produced by Madhu Mantena, Geetha Arts’ Allu Aravind, and Sreenivasa Kumar Naidu. Yashvardhan Ahuja had been tapped to play the role originally essayed by Viraj Ashwin in the Telugu version. While Sai Rajesh remains optimistic about working with Babil in the future, the present project faces an uncertain path. With no new lead actor finalised and production temporarily shelved, fans of the original film — and those eager to witness Yashvardhan’s debut — will have to wait a while longer.