Imran Khan’s dates govern casting of Milan Talkies

Although Sonakshi Sinha was believed to have bagged the part opposite Imran Khan, rumour mills now suggest that the actor has been dropped from Milan Talkies. The final decision to cast a female actor will now largely depend on whether her available dates coincide with Imran’s.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the female lead of Milan Talkies. Although Sonakshi Sinha was believed to have bagged the part opposite Imran Khan, rumour mills now suggest that the actor has been dropped from Ekta Kapoor’s production. Reason: she refused to forego her Indian avatar for her character in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s film.



According to insiders, until some time ago, Sonakshi was among the frontrunners. But she was never officially roped in because of date issues. "She was never finalised because she is busy with several other films and it might be difficult for her to make time around early next year. The makers were aware of this situation. That’s why her inclusion in the film was never official," says the insider.



Interestingly, the final decision to cast a female actor will now largely depend on whether her available dates coincide with Imran’s. "He is our hero. So, we have to take his availability into account. Plus, he is busy with Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2, Vishal Bhardwaj’s next and Karan Johar’s production. So, we can’t fiddle around much with his dates. Any female actor who will be roped in will have to keep this in mind," adds the insider.

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While Ekta couldn’t be reached for a comment, Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures, says, "Who said Sonakshi was finalised? All the media reports come and go on their own. Right now, we can’t say anything about the female lead. We are talking to a certain female star for the film, but we cannot reveal anything else."



Milan Talkies is set in Uttar Pradesh. The director plans to shoot the film in Lucknow and Allahabad by February next year. Around the same time, Tigmanshu would also be busy with the Saif Ali Khan-starrer Bullet Raja that happens to star Sonakshi.