PC Doing a Project Similar to HEROINE

It's a double whammy for filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar. Not only his movie Heroine got shelved following actor Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan's pregnancy, but also actress Priyanka Chopra, one of the possible candidates to replace Ash, is now all set to essay a similar character in filmmaker Kunal Kohli's movie.

Chopra has teamed up with her rumoured ex-boyfriend Shahid Kapoor for the movie that tells a tale of an actress's way to the top in 70s, as against the Ash's character which was set in the 90s. Though Priyanka is playing a heroine of the 60s and the 70s, the character has a lot of similarities with that of Ash in Heroine, barring the costumes.

"Priyanka will be doing exactly what Ash couldn't do. She is playing a heroine who fights her way to the top and how she is exploited and exploits others en route. We were anyways gearing up to release Priyanka's movie ahead of Ash's just to steal the thunder. But now with Ash's project getting shelved, the roads are clear for us," says a source, who is also a part of the unit. When the rough storyline of Ash's Heroine was made available, Kunal instructed everybody to keep the storyline of the film under the wraps.

"This is the real reason why Priyanka said 'no' to Madhur's Heroine. She knew that she is working on a similar script. Just the setting is different. Ash was supposed to be an aggressive heroine of the 90s and Priyanka of the late 70s. On top of that, Kunal was heavily banking on the chemistry between Shahid and Priyanka and also their break-up would be harped upon during the promotions," the source adds.

Ash would have seriously faced competition as both the films would have been ready back-to-back. Chopra has already started shooting for the film.

Sources also say that Chopra has met up with yesteryear heroines like Asha Parekh and Saira Bano as part of her homework for the film. "She has met a few heroines of yesteryears to lend authenticity to her character. She was also supposed to meet Sharmila Tagore," the source ends.

http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_priyanka-chopra-hijacks-heroine_1567521