The casting of South actor Rana Daggubati opposite Bipasha Basu in Vikram Phadnis' upcoming film, 'Nia' had to go through considerable rethinking. The two worked together in the 2011 film 'Dum Maro Dum' and the grapevine had it that they were romantically involved . However, they drifted apart when Bips started dating Harman Baweja.
With Harman in the scene, the makers of Nia decided against pairing Bipasha alongside Rana as it would have made things uncomfortable. But as soon as news of Harman and Bipasha's alleged split started doing the rounds, Rana was taken on board and the film announced.
Says a source, "The film was in the planning stage for long. Initially, it was supposed to feature Rana, but when Bipasha and Harman admitted they were a couple, Rana's casting was in doubt."
The source adds that the makers during the location hunt in Australia were also looking at the possibility of casting a local actor. "But as soon as the Bipasha-Harman relationship hit a rocky patch, casting Rana in the film was an easy decision," the source informs.
After the buzz about their split, Bips and Harman issued a statement which said that "whether we continue or not, we do and will always respect each other." Phadnis remained unavailable for comment while Bipasha's spokesperson says, "Harman or not, they do not interfere in each other's work space. Rana was Vikram's first choice for the film."
