There has been intense speculation about who would be the leading lady of Once Upon A Time in Mumbai 2 after Kareena Kapoor walked out of the project, reportedly to accommodate Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film opposite Ranveer Singh.
For a while, it was rumoured that Sonakshi Sinha had been roped in for the part opposite Akshay Kumar in the film. And Mirror can now confirm that she is the chosen one to have finally signed on the dotted line.
A source close to the developments told us, "It is Sonakshi. She had been approached after Kareena walked out, but there were major date issues among other things. With Rowdy Rathore and Joker yet to be released, the actress wasn't sure if she wanted to do yet another film with Akshay and vice versa. Then again, Kangna's name started doing the rounds. However, after Ranveer's accident on the sets of Lootera, Sonakshi had a window of dates available, and finally agreed to do the film."
Meanwhile, buzz is that Sonakshi had reservations about playing Dawood's girlfriend, Mandakini, which is why she took her own time making up her mind. Especially since she would have to appear in a very bold avatar, unlike her screen persona.
Ribbed about it, our source said, "Sonakshi was in two minds about playing a character based on the Bollywood actress. That was coupled with the fact that she would have to ooze sexuality. However, all that has been taken care of now, and the makers have decided against the bold sequences. Sonakshi is perfectly happy with the film."
The film is slated to go on floors in August as Akshay will start shooting for Ashish R Mohan's Khiladi 786 in May and Sonakshi will also know where exactly Lootera stands after Ranveer's recovery.
The sequel to Once Upon a Time in Mumbai stars Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan in lead roles and is directed by Milan Luthria. In spite of repeated attempts, Milan, Sonakshi and Ekta Kapoor remained unavailable for comments.
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