It is now official. Jacqueline Fernandes will be playing the lead in the sequel to the 2005 hit Murder.

In a statement to the media, director of Murder Mohit Suri said that he had loved working with Mallika Sherawat in Murder, but it was time for the film to move on and thus the choice of new-age heroine Jacqueline Fernandes to replace Mallika Sherawat.

Mohit Suri also feels that the audiences had loved watching a new face in his previous, therefore the fresh face concept may prove lucky for him once again!

Though there have been speculations about an actress stepping into the sizzling shoes of Mallika Sherawat, Mohit Suri is confident about Jacqueline Fernandes plying the sensual leading lady with élan.

In fact the director has already shot some lovemaking scenes with the former beauty queen and male lead Emraan Hashmi and he is very pleased with the results. Jacqueline Fernandes is the face of the modern sensual woman, says Mohit Suri.

With Murder doing well at the box office not only for its sensual content but also for the story and script of the film, the audience's expectations from the sequel will be even greater.

Also, with the passage of time, the tastes of movie goers in India have also changed and the sequel to Murder has to accommodate all of these. Mohit Suri has confirmed in his statement to the media that his upcoming project will do justice to the Murder brand in Bollywood.