Filmmaker Karan Johar has requested fans and the media to prefer accuracy over speculation following rumours of a major casting change in the third instalment of the Dulhania franchise — Janhvi Kapoor replacing Alia Bhatt in the lead role opposite Varun Dhawan.

“We will give details when the time and plans are formulated and fructified!We are humbled by the excitement shown to our future films but would love to have accuracy instead of speculation,” Karan wrote on his Instagram story on Friday.

Karan’s post comes close on the heels of media reports claiming that the 51-year-old filmmaker has joined hands with Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor for Dulhania 3, the third instalment of the franchise following the box office hits Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014) and Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017).

The reports were out soon after Karan teased Janhvi regarding a big collaboration that they were not yet allowed to talk about on his celebrity talk show, Koffee With Karan. The media report also claimed that the third instalment of the Dulhania franchise would be directed by Shashank Khaitan.

Though no explicit references were made in his Instagram story, the Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani director seems to have spurned all claims made by the media about replacing Alia as the lead.

On the work front, Karan is all set to co-produce Vasan Bala’s thriller Jigra with Alia, slated to release in September 2024.

Sagar Ambre and Muhammad Asif Ali’s Yodha starring Sidharth Malhotra, Disha Patani and Raashi Khanna will also be produced under the banner of Dharma Productions.