Sharman Joshi, who enjoyed the image of a family hero with films like Rang De Basanti, 3 Idiots and more recently Super Nani, was all set to exhibit his wild side in the erotic thriller Hate Story 3. The actor had even told Mirror that if need be, he would flash his bare butt on screen. But now we've learnt that the actor has opted out of the film, just weeks before it was to roll.

Confirming this, Sharman told Mirror, "The dates are not matching so I can't accommodate this film even though I'd like to. The schedule is clashing with two of my other films."

While Sharman maintains that he's opted out of the project because of date issues, a source from the film's production said that after the script was complete, the director couldn't "see him" in the sexually-charged film..

Hate Story 3 director Vishal Pandya agreed, "Yes, Sharman isn't doing Hate Story 3. It was a mutual decision. After the final script we realised that Sharman just didn't fit the role which was initially offered to him. We have replaced him with TV superstar Gurmeet Choudhary."

Gurmeet has previously starred in the hit mythological, Ramayan, in which he played Ram and soaps like Punar Vivaah and reality shows like Nach Baliye Season 6, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa Season 5 and Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 5. He made his Bollywood debut earlier this year in the horror flick, Khamoshiyan.