The actor-singer is pumping iron for his forthcoming film after apparently replacing Shahid Kapoor to clinch the lead role

Ali Zafar who has been till date cast in mushy, romantic roles is all set to break the mould. The actor-singer-composer-lyricist is said to be pumping iron for his first all-out action role.

While there has been speculation that he's playing Shahid Kapoor's brother in the Hindi remake of the southern flick, Vettai, recent buzz suggests he could well be playing the main lead himself.

According to trade sources, Ali could end up playing the part originally offered to Shahid. "Although he was earlier offered the brother's character, Ali might step into Shahid's role if the latter doesn't commit to the film," revealed our informer, attributing the change to Shahid not being convinced about south Indian director Linguswamy's Hindi version.

Since the producers and director are keen to remake Vettai in Hindi, they won't wait forever for Shahid to commit to the film.

As our source says, "After a point in time, they'll move on without Shahid. And Ali is a good, dedicated and hard-working actor. He has also started working on his physique for the action sequences in the film. So there's no reason why he can't do that part."



Ali confirms that he's doing an action film, but declined to comment saying, "Various talks are on, things are going on. I'd rather you wait for the official announcement."

He was forthcoming when asked about stepping out of his romantic image and into the shoes of an action hero.

"I like challenging myself. So I put myself in difficult situations, and consequently push myself to explore as an actor," he enthused. A fan of action since he was young, Ali states, "As a kid, I used to draw action comics. I still sketch action figures."