by Subhash K Jha

Suniel Shetty's eagerly-awaited production of the global espionage thriller Mission Istanbul seems to be going through a lot of casting upheavals.

First it was Bobby Deol who opted out and was replaced by Zayed Khan. Then Tusshar Kapoor didn't have the required dates.

The latest rumour doing the rounds is that Sagarika Ghatge, Preeti Sabharwal from Chak De India has been signed to play one of the female leads in Mission Istanbul.

"Not at all," explains Apoorva. "I don't know where that rumour started. Sagarika isn't in Mission Istanbul. The only female lead we've finalized is Shreya Saran (who was recently seen with Emran Hashmi in Awarapan). The other girl is still to be finalized."

So what's the cast of Mission Istanbul so far?

"It's Zayed Khan, Suniel Shetty, Viviek Oberoi, Shabbir Ahluwaila, Shreya Sharan and newcomer Niketan Dheer who's character-actor Pankaj Dheer's 6-feet-something son and quite a discovery," informs Apu.

And yes, contrary to scepticism, Abhishek Bachchan is putting in a guest appearance in Mission Istanbul.

"I have to have either Amitji or Abhishek, or preferably both in all my films," says Appu.