Actor-producer Suniel Shetty had launched RAASTE with Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, John Abraham and Sikander with fanfare at G.I.F.A. in Malaysia last year. But it’s learnt that the project has been delayed. Rumor mills insist that the much-in-news Abhishek-Aishwarya shaadi has pushed the project forward.

Speaking from Aamby Valley City - he is shooting for the television show BIGGEST LOSER JEETEGA - Suniel Shetty denies the development outright.

“RAASTE has been postponed, not shelved. We were supposed to start earlier, but we couldn’t procure combination dates of actors,” Suniel informs me.

What really led to the delay? “There are three seasons of racing in Mexico - March, June, and November. Since the actors are extremely busy and we couldn’t match the combination dates for the June season, we decided to reschedule the shooting in November to catch the next season. A few months delay shouldn’t raise eyebrows,” Suniel sets the record straight.

However, speculation is rife that Aishwarya Rai wouldn’t be part of RAASTE. “That’s untrue. Ash is definitely doing RAASTE,” he states, adding in the same breath, “Rensil D’Silva and Vicky Singh [director of RAASTE] are polishing the script currently. There’re no changes in the cast. Besides the finalized names, we’re in the process of signing one more actor for a pivotal role.”

Why isn’t Suniel acting in his home-production? “I’ve resolved never to act in my productions. You can’t concentrate on acting and film production simultaneously,” comes the reply.