Umair Jaswal is no longer playing Shoaib Akhtar in biopic Rawalpindi Express

If you were excited to see singer Umair Jaswal as Shoaib Akhtar in film Rawalpindi Express, we’ve got some sad news. The singer-actor has announced that he is no longer associated with the biopic for “creative and personal reasons”.

On Wednesday, the ‘Gagar’ singer wrote on Instagram, “ I have decided to step away from the Shoaib Akhtar biopic project Rawalpindi Express. I will no longer be associated with any media or news related to this project.“

While Jaswal is out of the picture as the pacer, he wished everyone involved with the project “all the very best” with a photo of himself as Akhtar in his iconic number 14 jersey.

His brother, fellow singer Yasir Jaswal, commented, “More power to you my love. Upwards and onwards,” on his post. He also received a similar comment from his actor-wife Sana Javed.

The biopic is being directed by Muhammad Faraz Qaiser, written by Qaiser Nawaz and produced under the banner of Q Films Productions.

The team has yet to announce the entire cast and the new actor who will play the cricketer’s role in the film. Rawalpindi Express was earlier expected to release on November 16 this year. It is unclear whether the change in lead actor will affect the release date.