Prithwish Ganguly/DNA India

Mumbai, Jul 15: Now this is news! Aamir Khan has backed out of his own production Delhi Belly in which he was supposed to play a negative character. The reason? Well  there are more than one — firstly, because he feels he is overworked and secondly because he wants to fulfill a promise he made to his family — a long and relaxed vacation.

Directed by Abhinay Deo, the film has three characters for which Aamir is currently busy casting. Delhi Belly is a sex comedy set in New Delhi that will have Chitrangada Singh playing the leading lady. The film is expected to have an ensemble cast and the shooting is slated to begin around August this year.

“Aamir is no longer a part of Delhi Belly. He really wanted to do the film because he thought the negative role he was supposed to play was very challenging but there were a few reasons that prompted him to back out,” says a source associated with the film.

The insider adds: “Aamir was feeling very drained right from the Taare Zameen Par days. He had promised a vacation to his family after Taare... released but then Ghajini came up and shooting started. Side-by-side, he was also looking into every detail of Imran’s Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na. Now that everything is done, he wants to keep his promise — and also get some much needed rest.”

Aamir will be taking off for the vacation once he finishes casting for Delhi Belly. “Now that he is no longer acting in the film, he will have to find an alternative who can fit into the villain’s role. He also has to finalise the rest of the cast,” the source says. It’s the second time Aamir has chosen not be part his home production, after Jaane Tu…, which was the Bollywood launch vehicle of his nephew Imran Khan.