The actress has been cast opposite Shahid Kapoor in Heer And Ranjha, whom she towers over

Director Sabir Khan has cast Deepika Padukone opposite Shahid Kapoor in Heer And Ranjha, a contemporary take on the old Heer-Ranjha legend.

The only reservation was the difference in the lead pair's height. Dippy is even taller than Sonam Kapoor, who is Shahid's co-star in Mausam.

It is a well-known fact that Dippy is very conscious of her heroes' height. Before the shooting of Karthik Calling Karthik, Farhan Akhtar had to actually stand next to her, and show her that he can match her height.

The question that arose was, would SK and DP look well-matched on screen?

Sabir succeeded in convincing the actress that she and Shaks would look fine together. He says, "I don't think it really makes a difference if the leading lady is taller than the hero.

Any heroine, no matter how tall, is keen to work with Aamir Khan. Dippy has agreed to do the film. I think Shahid and she make a great pair. They've never been paired before."

Adds the director, "We opted for Deepika because we needed a face that could look contemporary and classical. Among the current line-up of actresses, only she could measure up to my script's demands.

As for Shahid, he's an intense actor. I'm positive this pair can project the pangs of passionate love." Sabir is not telling much about his script.

However, what he does reveal is that H&R is not a classic take on the legendary love tale, but an edgy urban love story like what Baz Luhrmann did with Romeo & Juliet. The film starts shooting in April 2011.

Fresh Jodis Only

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala is keen to try untried pairs in his forthcoming productions.

For Heer And Ranjha, he is keen on the Deepika-Shahid pair.

For the screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's book 2 States, he has cast Saif opposite Priyanka

The fresh pair of Deepika-Salman Khan might feature in his film Kick.