Did Nawazuddin Siddiqui turn down a key role in the remake of BR Chopra's 1969 murder mystery Ittefaq?

The remake of BR Chopra's 1969 classic Ittefaq is in the works and the casting was almost complete, we hear, but a recent development has sent things for a toss.

Sources say the fresh pair of Sidharth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha have been finalised to reprise the roles of Rajesh Khanna and Nanda, respectively, while Nawazuddin Siddiqui was to step into the shoes of Iftekhar Khan as Inspector Karwe. However, Nawaz has apparently turned down the project over creative differences.

Says a source close to the production, `Nawaz was approached to play the iconic cop's role and he had agreed to come on board initially. Later, he told them that he was not happy with the climax and wanted it changed, but the makers weren't keen to rework the script. Disagreement over this forced him to opt out of the film.` Chopra's grandson, Abhay, who will helm the remake being co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar, has contemporised the story and rewritten the climax for the suspense to be intact - otherwise, the mystery would be unlocked before the first scene is canned.

`The makers are now looking for someone who can play a cop with conviction,` adds the source.

Nawaz and Karan Johar, who is one of the producers for the film, remained unavailable for comment.

Ittefaq, itself a remake of British film, Signpost to Murder (1964), revolved around an artist who is accused of murdering his wife whom he had thrown off in a fit of rage. He then spends the stormy night with a rich woman who has a dark secret of her own.