When Kareena shocked everyone

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are giving their tresses a vastly different look for Vishal Bharadwaj's "Othello".

Saif, sporting shoulder-length hair till recently, has decided to go for a crew cut to play Vishal's Uttar Pradesh-version of Shakespeare's sinister villain Iago.

"The shoulder-length hair gave me the right look for my rock concert in Delhi. For Vishal's film I was contemplating various looks. Going completely bald is not an option. So I have gone for a crew cut. It gives me the north Indian loutish look," says Saif.

Kareena has gone the other way. She is currently at home growing her lovely locks really long. If you have read Shakespeare you'd know Desdemona's long hair is a matter of poetic proclamations for her jealous husband.

Kareena's hair might well be the longest ever in Hindi cinema.

So, it is Saif's crew cut against Kareena's long-flowing tresses. How would the pair look together?

The last and only time Saif and Kareena came together in J.P. Dutta's "LOC", Shabana Azmi said: "In that one shot where Kareena had to react to her husband's body (Saif) being brought back, mere to rongte khade ho gaye. It's one of the best shots I have seen by a female actor."

Hopefully the pair will be able to create magic this time too but that magic would come at a price, which Bawejas had already paid. Kareena was supposed to do their forthcoming sci-fi, Love Story 2050 but she opted out due to Bhardwaj's project leaving Harman, young scion of Baweja clan sad and gloomy.

"When Bebo decided to opted out of our film it doubly hurt me," he rues. "I've known Bebo for a long time. She and I were part of the same group once. We've partied together and we share a good rapport. When she left I was too dumbstruck to even ask her why she did so."

Ask him if she gave any explanations and shakes his heads in dismay. "I asked for none," says Harman. "After all she is a friend, not just a co-star. We lost a lot of money because of her sudden walk-out. But I don't hold a grudge against her. I'm sure she had good reason to do what she did."

Though the hunt is offically on for a new leading lady but our sources tell that it is Priyanka Chopra, who is going to fill in for Bebo.