Deepika in race for Hindi - Arundathi

Telugu cinema’s biggest hit Arundhati will be remade into Hindi by its original makers with Sonu Sood playing the lead. The producers however, have not yet found an actress to play the female lead opposite Sonu. There was a buzz that the makers had approached Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi actress Anushka Sharma but the deal didn’t go through since she was still bound by a three-film contract with Yash Raj Films. It is learnt that the producers have now approached Deepika Padukone for the role. A source says, “After Anushka Sharma, another name that was considered was the original heroine of the Telugu blockbuster, whose name is also Anushka. Considering the fact that she is still an unknown face in Bollywood, they decided to opt for a more popular young actress in Bollywood who didn’t have a set image and the Om Shanti Om girl’s name cropped up. The discussions are on but nothing has been finalised yet.” An industry insider reveals, “The makers are adamant on having Sonu in the lead, since he played the main villain in the Telugu original. They are still stuck without a female lead, but they are opting for all the A-listers and are not ready to settle for anything less.” - D C