Mahesh Bhatt wants Sid-Alia in Aashiqui 3

The actors are the forerunners to play the lead in Part 3 of the hit franchise.

It has been over a quarter of a century since Aashiqui took Bollywood by storm. The musical romance which blossomed in 1990 made overnight stars of Rahul Roy, Anu Aggarwal and Deepak Tijori.

With a dozen evergreen chartbusters it also put the careers of singer Kumar Sanu and composer duo Nadeem-Shravan on the fast track.

The sequel which opened in April, 2013, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Sharddha Kapoor playing singers-turned-lovers, grappling with personal and professional highs and lows, was another surprise hit, boosting not just its lead jodi, but also its young director, Mohit Suri.

Over the last three years there has been plenty of curiosity about Aasahqui 3. A few months ago, buzz was, Hrithik Roshan would take the franchise forward with Sonam Kapoor after the overwhelming response to the video of the reworked single "Dheere Dheere" in which they featured. But now Mirror has learnt that the baton has been passed on to B-town's hip and happening couple. Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt are the forerunners in this love race.

When quizzed on the development of the third instalment in the franchise, filmmaker and Alia's dad, Mahesh Bhatt who had directed the original and who along with filmmaker-brother Mukesh Bhatt will be producing Part three, as well, with Bhushan Kumar, said, "Aashqui is one of Vishesh Films and T-Series' most successful franchises and Mohit Suri will be returning as director. Right now it is work in progress, but I admit that based on the narrative, we have approached Sidharth and Alia to play the lead. But since both these actors are close to home, I would not like to proclaim from the rooftops just yet that it's a go-go till they officially sign the contract."

It's interesting that Rahul and Anu's love story wasn't confined to the screen alone, neither was Shraddha's and Aditya's. And Sid and Alia too have been vacationing together making this reel life 'aashiqui' even more viable.