Sidharth Malhotra was in the running initially
Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; July 6, 2016)

Fawad Khan seems to be Karan Johar’s go-to actor. Two years post his Bollywood debut with the female- centric film, Khoobsurat, starring Sonam Kapoor, the Pakistani hottie is set to fly solo. No prizes for guessing by who. KJo, who cast the actor in two back-to-back ensemble films, is believed to have offered him his maiden solo hero project.

A source says, “The filmmaker-actor-jodi is willing to collaborate on more films since they share a good rapport. They have been spotted together on numerous occasions and have discussed few ideas as well as scripts. Fawad recently signed a film after he liked the script.” An official announcement is likely to be made once Karan finalises the lead actress and the director.

Another source says, “Initially, Sidharth Malhotra was being considered for the role. But, later, Karan approached Fawad and he immediately agreed to be part of it. He fits the bill and this film will mark his first solo hero outing in Bollywood.” Fawad and Karan remained unavailable for comment.

Reportedly, Karan’s mother Hiroo Johar became a fan of the Pakistani import after his TV shows were aired in India two years ago and had cajoled the filmmaker to cast him in one of his films. After working together in the March release, Kapoor & Sons, and upcoming film, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, they seem to have struck a friendship for keeps. According to recent buzz, Karan had recommended Fawad’s name to co-host a IIFA Awards in Spain, with the organisers readily agreeing to the proposal. It was also said that KJo recently arranged for a special dinner treat for Fawad, who missed out on his 44th birthday bash in London last month.