Salman makes way for Kat to do item # in Agneepath

All clear for Katrina Kaif's item belle jig in Agneepath

Katrina Kaif, it seems, will finally be seen in the much hyped item number that Karan Johar had planned with the actress in mind for his upcoming biggie Agneepath. The item dance in question is being hyped as a highlight number in the Hrithik Roshan- starrer. In the song, Katrina will be seen shaking a leg with Sanjay Dutt who plays the arch villain Kancha Cheena in the film.

The news about Karan approaching Katrina for the item number started doing the rounds a few weeks ago. However, no sooner did the buzz gain ground, insiders in Katrina's camp quashed all such reports.

Industry insiders suggest that Katrina' s reluctance to do the item dance in Agneepath had to do with her close friend Salman Khan. Salman was reportedly not very pleased with Sanjay Dutt getting close to his arch rival Shah Rukh Khan lately. In fact, Sanjay's recent proximity to SRK has surprised all.

In turn, Katrina, who owes a lot to Salman professionally, reportedly chose to stay away from Agneepath. "Salman, who has always been very close to Sanjay, was miffed when the latter agreed to do a villain's role in Agneepath, produced by SRK's closest buddy Karan, but refused to do a guest appearance role as his father in Bodyguard. In fact, a frustrated Salman actually asked the makers of Bodyguard to totally do away with the father's role in the film when Sanjay turned it down because he couldn't think of any other actor for the act," a source said.

Things further worsened when SRK gifted Sanjay an expensive bike for doing a cameo in his ambitious biggie, Ra. One. However, now that Sanjay has come out and publicly declared that his ties with Salman were too deep to be damaged over such trivial reasons that Salman is his family all that seems to be a thing of the past.

An emotional Salman is reportedly back to being friends with Sanjay, with whom he will incidentally play the co- host in this season's Bigg Boss. This, in turn, clears the way for Katrina to do an item number in a film produced by Karan's banner, perceived all along to be pro- SRK. While Katrina is yet to sign on the dotted line, sources said it is only a matter of time now.

"Sheila ki jawani in last year's Tees Maar Khan and her item dance in Bodyguard have made Katrina a sought- after star for item numbers. Agneepath is a huge production and Karan feels only she could do justice to the number," a source said.

The song in question is composed by rising music director duo Ajay- Atul who composed the songs of the Ajay Devgn- blockbuster Singham. The Karan Johar- produced Agneepath is a remake of the 1990 film of the same name that his dad, the late Yash Johar, had produced with Amitabh Bachchan in the central role.

Hrithik reprises Big B's National Award- winning role of Vijay Deenanath Chauhan while Priyanka Chopra is cast as the heroine. Sanjay Dutt will essay the villain Kancha Cheena, which was played by Danny in the original. Karan has insisted that his film is not a blind rehash of the original Agneepath but reinterprets the story with a new- age twist.

Katrina's item dance, if it materialises, would be a sexy new- age twist indeed.