By Subhash K Jha

Scoffing at the misplaced confidence of reports that Ileana d'Cruz will star opposite Akshay Kumar in Gabbar, the Hindi remake of A. Murugadoss' Tamil blockbuster Ramana, producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali says, `The report is absolutely false. It is most definitely not Ileana.

We are yet to zero in on a leading lady for Akshay in Gabbar. But it will be someone who brings a freshness to the project.`

Another source close to the project adds that the heroine's part in Gabbar is work in progress.


Says the source, `The subject is an out-and-out one-man show. In the original Tamil film the heroine played by Simran dies in the first-half of the plot. Her role is being rewritten for the Hindi version. Only then would the casting be decided.`