signed Abhishek Bachchan, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Katrina Kaif in the first go and Katrina was always our first choice so there was no question of talking to Priyanka Chopra. She was never approached or spoken to for this role so how can Priyanka lose out on a role she was never even considered for?". Players received a U/A certificate. Controversy erupted regarding the Censor Boards clarification to a scene in which Kapoor is seen making the middle finger gesture, which was clearly visible in the promos of the film. It was initially blurred out but was later approved after appeals from the directors and Kapoor, who stated, "I don't believe in censorship so whether they like it or not, I really don't care about it. I just want people to come and see my film. Showing a middle finger is a part of today's youth". Media criticised her, claiming "For Sonam Kapoor, showing middle finger is no big deal" and the censor board for allowing the scene pass without cuts or blurring; a similar scene in Ranbir Kapoor's Rockstar (2011) had also been allowed. The issue was brought to light once again, when cricketer Virat Kohli famously made the gesture at Australian fans (two days before the film's release) during the Australia vs India 2011–12 series. Impact After the poor financial performance of Players, Bachchan's lack of success continued, and he was dropped from his next film role. The unexpected failure of the film led to many trade industry analysts reinstating the belief of a jinx in Bollywood that the first-released film of the year always fails at the box office, which happened to the films Halla Bol (2008), Chandni Chowk To China (2009), Pyaar Impossible! and Dulha Mil Gaya (2010). This had been happening for years until 2011 when No One Killed Jessica became a "semi hit" supposedly breaking the jinx. The analysts were confident that Players would be successful. Plans for a sequel to Players were scrapped after major disputes began between the directors Abbas-Mustan and producers Viacom 18, who claimed that Abbas–Mustan had made changes to the script without their consent and that the film had gone over budget from to around which had caused them extra losses. Bachchan, who was signed for approximately , forfeited his payment of and claimed he was "happy with the way the film was shot" and he turned down the