Baiju NT [April 23, 2009, 2:17:49 PM] Bollywood model-turned-actress Deepika Padukone has been reportedly approached to don the title role in the Hindi remake of Tollywood blockbuster Arundhati (Arundhathee in Tamil). The discussions are on, but nothing has been finalized yet!
Earlier, the makers had approached Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi actress Anushka Sharma, who was later dropped, since she was still under contract with her mentor Yash Raj.
After Anushka Sharma, another name considered for the role was Anushka, the original heroine of Arundhati. Considering that Anushka is an unknown face in Bollywood, the makers decided to opt for a more popular young actress in Bollywood. That's is how Deepika came into the scene.
Some sources indicate that Kajol Devgan and Rani Mukherjee were also considered for the title role, while Amitabh Bachchan is reportedly being approached to play the character enacted by Sayaji Shinde in Telugu. Meanwhile, it is confirmed that Sonu Sood, who played the main antagonist in Telugu, will repeat the same part in Hindi as well.
M. Shyam Prasad Reddy, producer of the Telugu version, has decided to remake the film in Hindi, though many producers, including Ghajini’s Madhu Mantena, were vying for the Hindi remake rights. Remake expert Priyadarshan was initially approached to direct Arundhathi in Hindi, but Priyan apparently has no time to spare at such short notice.
