/> Four back-to-back hits and a rousing performance in his latest release Shanghai, and Emraan Hashmi seems to be going places. From the time when A-lister heroines shied away from working with him... ‘cut' to Kareena and Katrina both being prime candidates to pair opposite Emraan.

Yup, the Mahesh Bhatt protégé has come a long way.

We've now learnt from an extremely reliable source that Emraan has pipped the competition namely Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan, to play the lead in the first joint production of Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor.

Says the source, "The merger of Karan's Dharma and Ekta's Balajee is monumental and the cast has to reflect the importance of the union. The film to be directed by newbie Akhshoy Roy is an edgy love story.

An unconventional devil-may-care 27-28 year-old hero was needed. Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan were the immediate choices. But then Emraan who is currently Balajee's blue-eyed boy seemed the best bet. "



Interestingly Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif have been approached to play Emraan's love interest.

Says the source, "Both Karan and Ekta feel the Emraan-Katrina pair would be magic. "

However Katrina's dates don't seem to be working out. Curiously after the overhwhelming response to Chikni chameli for Dharma's Agneepath nothing seems to be working out between Karan and Katrina. A case of mismatched kundlis, perhaps?

Apparently Katrina loved the script.

"But she wouldn't be able to find a window in her schedule for the film, " says a source close to Katrina.