Posted:
Piggy chops out 'the contender'
In Siddharth Anand's adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's 2 States , Priyanka Chopra will certainly be the lead
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Friday, October 22, 2010 at 02:09:15 AM
| That Deepika Padukone will replace Priyanka Chopra in Siddharth Anand's adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's 2 States, is a rumour. Both producer Sajid Nadiadwala and director Siddharth Anand had stated on record (to this writer) that Priyanka had been confirmed as the female lead with Saif Ali Khan in the film. It appears that it people from Deepika's camp spread the rumour about this because the female lead's character is that of a South Indian girl and ostensibly, Deepika fits the bill perfectly. The rumour disturbed Priyanka's parents and her father called up producer Sajid Nadiadwala asking for a clarification. Says Sajid, "You have no idea how much these cast-change rumours have embarrassed me. Priyanka's parents are dear friends. I didn't know what to tell them. The truth is, I've not asked for any change in the cast. Why should I? It's the director's call." What has changed in fact, is the script. Not the leading lady. Explains Sajid, "Saif and Siddharth had come to me with another script which I had liked. It was decided that Priyanka would be paired with Saif. Then the script changed. Saif and Siddharth decided they wanted to do Chetan Bhagat's 2 States. I loved the story. So the script changed. As far as I'm concerned the cast did not." Siddharth too has not intimated to Nadiadwala that the new script needs a new leading lady. So where did the rumour of Deepika replacing Priyanka emerge from? Says Sajid, "It probably came from the girl in 2 States being South Indian. And Deepika and Asin are the two big South Indian heroines in Mumbai right now." So, Priyanka gearing up for a challenging role now. And for that, she will work on developing a Tamil accent and a very specific body language. Says Sajid, "I know she can do it. She's got terrific determination and drive." |
Current Affairs
12