Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; June 7, 2015)

Sultan won’t be the first time Kangana Ranaut has been unable to do a Salman Khan film. The first one offered to her was Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which eventually fell into Kareena Kapoor’s lap. She was also approached to be the female lead in Sultan, for which they haven’t found a replacement yet.

“Aditya Chopra had personally spoken to Kangana about the role. Unlike other Salman films, the role of the heroine in Sultan is a lot meatier. Adi felt she would fit the bill perfectly and the character is rather heroic,” an insider reveals. Like Salman, the female lead in Sultan is also a wrestler. So, she won’t be a showpiece. It’s a challenging part.

While BB didn’t interest her role-wise, Kangs had to turn down Sultan because of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Rangoon. “Yes, Sultan’s dates are clashing with Rangoon and I am already committed to Rangoon,” Kangana admits.

The actress is now busy with her next film Katti Batti and will start shooting for Hansal Mehta’s next from August and will then move on to VB’s Rangoon. But now that Kangana won’t be a part of Sultan, Adi’s hunt for the heroine continues…