Saare Jahaan Se Achcha is finally taking off! The space adventure planned by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur that crash-landed after Shah Rukh Khan suddenly backed out last December, appears to be on track again. The two producers who have been struggling to make this film with one A-list actor after another, have apparently decided to break the jinx and accept a younger generation star instead. And who have they chosen to step into SRK’s shoes but Bollywood’s new go-to man – Vicky Kaushal!

PeepingMoon.com sources reveal that Vicky has been locked in to play Indian Air Force pilot Rakesh Sharma whose life the film is based on. The actor, who is riding high on the blockbuster success of Uri: The Surgical Strike, will sign on the dotted line once his dates are locked. Pre-production will soon start and shooting is expected to kick off in a month, sources said. “Vicky was the ultimate choice after Shah Rukh opted out. Ronnie has given him his career’s biggest commercial hit in Uri and there’s no way Vicky could have said no, especially for a big-budget film like Saare Jahaan Se Achcha,” the sources added.

[caption id="attachment_218297" align="aligncenter" width="647"] Shah Rukh Khan and Vicky Kaushal[/caption]

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Director Mahesh Mathai is believed to have worked on this story for many years and it was disappointing for Ronnie and Siddharth after Aamir Khan backed out first and then SRK. The film, a biopic on Rakesh Sharma who became the first Indian to travel in space when he joined the Soyuz T-11 as part of an Intercosmos programme in April 1984, is written by Anjum Rajabali. Shah Rukh Khan seemed all set to play the title role until his December release Zero, that had him going on an adventure to Mars in a spaceship, tanked badly and left him wary of space films. Now Vicky Kaushal will fly Saare Jahaan Se Achcha instead.