Katrina Kaif was initially being considered for this project but the King Khan made a conscious decision of keeping away professionally from anything that's related to Salman, Katrina's name was dropped.
"But then there was also a problem having Asin in the film." sources further reveal. "The Yash Raj project was to go on floors during 2009 but Asin was committed to do a Priyadarshan project co-starring Akshay Kumar.
In fact Akki himself had suggested her name and she had landed in a catch 22 situation as rejecting the Yash Raj project would mean taking on the biggest production house's ire and refusing Akki's film would mean hurting him.
Since, Akki herself had suggested her name, Asin was not able to back out of it. But then luck favoured the Southern beauty as recently Akshay announced his inability to shoot the Priyadarshan project in 2009 and allotted dates of March 2010.
Now her dates for 2009 end got free and she intimated Yash Raj about it. Now the buzz doing the rounds of industry circles is, Asin may be replaced from the Priyadarshan project with Katrina Kaif. Now that would make it a full circle if it happens so!"