Masand: Gossip of the Week | October 19th

Shuffling the Deck

Tigmanshu Dhulia's Milan Talkies is fast turning out to be a jinxed project. The director had originally cast Imran Khan and Priyanka Chopra in leading roles. But after the recent fiasco that was Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbaai Dobara, producer Ekta Kapoor unceremoniously dropped Imran from the project, saying cryptically: "The film requires a certain amount of aggression." Imran, while making it clear he wasn't pleased by the development, remained professional and wished the makers good luck for the film. Priyanka was let go too, albeit quietly.

Next, the producers approached Shahid Kapoor for the male lead, and the actor verbally accepted the offer while maintaining that he was yet to hear a finished script and work out shooting dates, salaries and other details.

Aashiqui 2's Shraddha Kapoor"currently starring in another Balaji project, Mohit Suri's Villain opposite Student of the Year's Sidharth Malhotra"was roped in to replace Priyanka.

But Shraddha quickly exited Milan Talkies when she was reportedly asked to pick between the two Shahid starrers she'd been offered, committing to Vishal Bhardwaj's Hamlet remake Haider instead. And now, the news is that Shahid Kapoor may not be doing the film either. Details are sketchy, and while Shahid has said he hadn't even officially signed the film in the first place, insiders reveal there may have been a falling out between the actor and the notoriously opinionated producer.

At the time of going to press, there were reports that Balaji is still trying to convince Shahid to stick with the film. Others reveal, however, that Ekta has begun looking around for a suitable replacement, and Varun Dhawan (who's starring in Balaji's Main Tera Hero, directed by his father David Dhawan) has been made an offer.

So Parineeti Chopra and Aditya Roy Kapoor were spotted at a Juhu multiplex last weekend, taking in Ron Howard's thrilling car-racing drama Rush. Tabloids reported that both actors were having a good time, laughing and whispering throughout the film. They quickly deduced that Aditya and Parineeti might just be the latest item' in Bollywood.

Alas, the gossip rags may have jumped the gun. A little snooping around reveals that the actors had in fact been asked by the director of their new film, Ishaqzaade's Habib Faisal, to spend some time together so they could get to know each other before they showed up on set. They have apparently been encouraged to go to movies and on coffee dates so they're comfortable with each other while filming Habib's love story, which is slated to go on the floors shortly.

Parineeti, who has repeatedly been linked to her Shuddh Desi Romance director Maneesh Sharma, has just as many times refuted those rumours, insisting that they're no more than good friends. Aditya's current romantic status, however, remains hazy, given that he's been linked to everyone from Shraddha Kapoor and Mere Dad Ki Maruti's Rhea Chakraborty since breaking up with his former girlfriend Ahana Deol.

Not only is he Bollywood's most versatile actor working currently, he's also got a keen eye for the best scripts. Reams of newsprint have been expended discussing his virtues, but co-stars on the set of his latest film complain of his one bad habit"his reluctance to share.

A star-kid shooting with him on their new project liked the senior actor's hairstyle so much, he reportedly asked his manager to check with the actor's stylist if he'd work on his hair too. The stylist in question, who was recruited to travel with the senior actor to the foreign location they were shooting at, asked the boss if he could take on the younger actor's work, expecting a positive response. But he was surprised when the senior star asked him to make an excuse and decline the job. Turns out the older star wasn't thrilled with the idea of sharing his staff.

When twice the stylist made lame excuses to avoid working with the younger actor, the star kid allegedly approached the older actor directly and asked if he could employ the stylist's services. Now in an awkward position, the senior star said it was up to the stylist if he had the time. And that's how the younger actor was finally able to get his way and how the stylist got to earn a second salary.