Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 18, 2014)

Leading South actress Tamannaah, who made her Bollywood debut with Himmatwala (2013), has lost the chance to play Shraddha Kapoor’s role in the Telugu version of Mohit Suri’s Aashiqui 2. The casting happened after weeks of intense negotiation with

Tamannaah, who apparently, asked for an astronomical amount of money to act in the film.

Says a source, “There were problems with Tamannaah from the word go. Not only was she asking for an unreasonable amount of money, she was also not happy with choice of the leading man Sachiin Joshi (also the producer). Now, a newcomer has been signed for the role.

Sachiin confirms, “I felt a newcomer would fit the bill much better. The role required someone innocent and unspoilt. Ankita Shorey is perfect for the part. Just as Shraddha was in the Hindi version.” Ankita has been asked to stay away from viewing Shraddha’s performance. “We want her to interpret the role in her own way,” says Sachiin.

The Telugu version of Aashiqui 2 will have a happy ending, unlike the original.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 6, 2014)

While Sachiin Joshi has bagged the rights of the Telugu remake of Aashiqui 2 and will enact the role played by Aditya Roy Kapur, Mirror has learnt that the producers have decided to cast Tamannaah Bhatia opposite him. Tamannaah, who made her Bollywood debut with Sajid Khan’s Himmatwala, will reprise the role played by Shraddha Kapoor in the original.

However Sachiin is not too happy with the choice of heroine. He believes that Tamannaah might not be able to do justice to the character and has voiced his apprehensions to the producer down South.

When contacted, Joshi was forthcoming about his scepticism. “Like Shraddha, we need a relatively fresh face. Tamannaah is a huge sensation in the Southern film industry and I’m worried that her stardom may work against the role,” he said adding, “However, I will let the director take the final call.”

About the film, he says that they will retain the music of the original, but the climax will be different. “The music was such a sensation that other than the lyrics, we may not change anything. But yes, the film will have a happy ending.”