Aishwarya is not there’: Ram Gopal Varma officially confirms Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s exit from 'Sarkar 4'

'Sarkar' is surely one of the best works of Ram Gopal Varma and even though the later sequels to the movie received mixed reviews, this 'Godfather' inspired films has a cult following. Ram Gopal Varma has now officially confirmed that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will not be part of 'Sarkar 4'. During a recent interaction with IANS, the filmmaker addressed ongoing casting speculation.

When asked directly about Aishwarya’s involvement, he made his stance clear, "No, no, no. Aishwarya is not there."

Ram Gopal Varma promises a bigger and more expansive world for 'Sarkar 4'

While speaking about the film, Ram Gopal Varma hinted at a larger narrative scale. He shared that the upcoming instalment will explore a more expansive world. Responding to expectations around the film, he said, "I mean, of course, obviously, the story is different, and the world will be far more, I mean, expansive this time, in terms of being dedicated to close-ups, and I am making the subject matter on what happens behind, on a much bigger scale.

"Ram Gopal Varma also revealed that filming for Sarkar 4 will begin next month. He shared this update during his appearance at the Red Lorry Film Festival.

Mixed reception for previous installment

The last film in the series, Sarkar 3, received a mixed response from critics. The ETimes review stated, "Coming to the all-important question is Ram Gopal Varma of Shiva, Satya, Company and the first part of Sarkar back in form? Well, you can see some flashes of the filmmaker’s intensity here.

His Mahabharatha tale or palace politics as it is termed, plays out uninterruptedly. However there isn’t much intrigue because most of the twists are easy to guess.

Some of the dialogue is pithy but then again, this accounts for little."

Franchise legacy and key characters

The Sarkar franchise has been one of Ram Gopal Varma’s most notable works. The original film starred Amitabh Bachchan as Subhash Nagre. Abhishek Bachchan played his on-screen son, Shankar. The sequel, Sarkar Raj, introduced Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Anita Rajan. The third instalment, Sarkar 3, continued the story with a strong ensemble cast.