Now, Saif says no to Ratnam

Mani Ratnam is having a tough time filling the vacant slot created by Viveik Oberoi's departure from Guru.

What with Aishwarya Rai playing the lead with current lover Abhishek Bachchan, former flame Viveik had opted out of playing the parallel lead.

After John Abraham refused to sign the film, Saif Ali Khan too has given a thumbs' down to Ratnam.

Says an insider, "When Mani Sir thought of John Abraham, he least expected that Abraham would turn down the offer. Actually, John did not have date problems. The real reason is that he did not want to play second fiddle to Abhishek Bachchan."

Needs big star

"Then Saif was asked to do the role. Saif expressed his inability, saying he could not adjust his dates," adds the source.

Ratnam now wants somebody big in place of Viveik. "It's not proving easy to get a big actor at short notice. We did not expect to have such a tough time convincing somebody to step into Viveik's role."

Abraham and Khan were unavailable for comment.