by Subhash K Jha

Asin said no to Priyadarshan's De Dana Dan opposite Akshay Kumar because of the length of her role. Katrina happily bagged the role arguing she wanted to be part of the film because of her pairing with Akshay.

....And to be part of the lavish laughathon which promises to be one of the biggest hits of the year.

Instead Asin chose to do London Dreams where it so turns out that her role is not that substantial after all (to put it mildly).

There is shock and disbelief about the length and scope of Asin's role in London Dreams. After Ghajini where she dominated the show, Asin as a chorus singer of a grunge band in London Dreams seems a bit hard to swallow.

Attempts to ask the actress if her role had been drastically downsized were met with a suspiciously stony silence from her.

When Vipal Shah was contacted he was characteristically forthright. "I've been been hearing these stories about Asin's role been chopped off. If some people believe her role has been edited what can I do?

The truth of the matter is, Asin knew the exact extent of her role and she loved it. She went into London Dreams with her eyes open. And she loved the scope of her role.

But finally when she saw the way the role had turned out maybe it didn't meet her expectations."

Apparently the disappointing length of Asin's post-debut Hindi film has soured things between the actress and the director.

Vipul vehemently denies this. "Asin and I are still friends We've met after the film's release. If she is disappointed by her role she hasn't told me anything."

Curiously all the news of Asin's presence in Ashutosh Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se dried up after the acutely lukeward response to her role and performance in London Dreams, leading to the speculation that perhaps the Ghajini spell had broken with the second film.

Says a source from the industry, "Asin has been extremely picky so far. She has said no to offers like Priyadarshan's De Dana Dan and Farhan Akhtar's Kartik Calling Kartik. And now after London Dreams she has no Hindi assignments on hand at the moment."