Bajrangi Bhaijan. Jai Ho. Sher Khan. Kick. Sultan. No, we aren’t enumerating Salman Khan starrers. That is a list of the films that Deepika Padukone was offered opposite the Dabangg Khan — and which she has refused. Sultan was the fifth in a line of films that would have teamed Deepika up with Salman, and industry sources say it is unlikely the two will ever work together on a movie. There had been a delay in finalising the lead actress for Sultan. Sources close to the project report that producer Aditya Chopra and director Ali Abbas Zafar wanted to sign an A-list actress with an athletic personality/background.
And who better than Deepika? Alas, the lass said no. This time too (as in the past), her reason was that she was not very happy about the role, a source says. “Deepika, Parineeti Chopra and Kangana Ranaut were all considered, but it didn’t work out. The team was in a fix. They needed a leading lady who would look convincing as an athlete,” informs a source. It was a relief indeed when Anushka Sharma said yes. So where does that leave Deepika? Out of the “Salman camp” for good? The actress herself has always maintained that she would jump at a chance to work with Salman.
“Of course, I want to work with Salman,” Deepika had said, when she was quizzed about turning down a film with the superstar as she was busy promoting Ram-Leela at the time. “I want to do a film with him, but it has to be the right film at the right time,” she had stated. Industry insiders point out that Deepika has long been part of the “Shah Rukh Khan camp”. But now that SRK and Salman have buried their animosity, will “camp members” be allowed to cross over to the “other side”? Or will they have to continue making polite excuses for not taking up projects?
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