Waluscha De Sousa is SRK's new leading lady

While Shah Rukh Khan has been busy shooting for his next with director Maneesh Sharma, there has been a lot of buzz about the identity of his female co-star. Names like Parineeti Chopra, Ileana D'Cruz and Vaani Kapoor have done the rounds, but it seems, now, that the role has gone to model Waluscha De Sousa.

"It's not a regular flick that has quintessential roles for a hero and heroine. The casting process of the film has been unusual. They've picked Waluscha, who is not from the industry, as the leading lady. She was a prominent supermodel after participating in a beauty pageant in 2000, but she took a break after marrying fashion choreographer Marc Robinson. Now, they have separated," says a source.

Since the model hasn't done much acting, it is believed that the makers took some time to convince her to come on board. The source adds, "Waluscha took special training in acting for this film. She has already started shooting with Shah Rukh in south Mumbai and at an Andheri studio."

The model isn't the first newcomer that Shah Rukh is working with. Deepika Padukone (Om Shanti Om; 2007) and Anushka Sharma (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi; 2008) are among the actresses who have made their big-screen acting debuts opposite him.

Recently, the film's release date was postponed from its original August 14 slot. Shooting had been delayed due to Shah Rukh's injury last year. We tried contacting Waluscha as well as the production house, but they remained unavailable for comments.