Parineeti Chopra has replaced Shraddha Kapoor in Amole Gupte’s biopic of badminton champion Saina Nehwal, Mumbai Mirror reported on Friday. The film’s producer, T-Series, confirmed the news on Twitter.

Kapoor, who reportedly practised the sport for months as part of her preparation for the role, had to step down due to scheduling conflicts, according to the report. Following a few days into the shoot in September 2018, Kapoor was diagnosed with dengue and advised to resume work only in April. Her upcoming films include the Prabhas-starrer Saaho, Street Dancer 3D, Baaghi 3 and Nitesh Tiwari’s Chhichhore.

T-Series head Bhushan Kumar told Mumbai Mirror, “We want to wrap up Saina by this year-end for an early 2020 release, so going ahead with the project is a decision taken by mutual consent... We can’t wait to take her story to the world in the year of the Olympics.”

Chopra added that she was thrilled to join the film. “I am excited to put in all the training and hard work that comes with learning the game and portraying Saina on screen,” Chopra said.