Aamir Khan wants Deepika Padukone to play Draupadi in Mahabharata

• Aamir has been telling his close friends and associates that only Deepika can play Draupadi and nobody else
• According to reports, Aamir Khan's Mahabharata will be co-produced by business tycoon Mukesh Ambani
• Aamir had earlier expressed his desire to play Lord Krishna in the epic drama

Aamir Khan's dream project Mahabharata has become the talk of the town ever since Mr. Perfectionist expressed his desire to make it. And it looks like the Dangal actor has finally begun casting for the project. And if a report in Bollywood Hungama is to be believed, Aamir wants Deepika Padukone on board to play the role of Draupadi in the mythological drama.

"Aamir Khan's Mahabharat will be the most expensive mythological film ever made in this country. It's Aamir's dream project and only the A-listers would be cast as the epic characters. Deepika is the natural choice for Draupadi. She has the grace and grit. But after Padmaavat, Deepika is bound to be wary of doing another epic that could easily snowball into a controversy," a source close the project said.

Apparently, Aamir has been telling his close friends and associates that only Deepika can play Draupadi and nobody else. If everything falls into place, Deepika and Aamir will share screen together in a film for the first time.

It remains to be seen whether Deepika will agree to play the mythological character after Padmaavat.

Earlier, it was reported that Aamir had offered Ranveer Singh a role in Mahabharata after watching his impressive portrayal of Alauddin Khilji in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Padmaavat.

Aamir Khan's protege and Dangal actress Fatima Sana Shaikh had earlier hinted at the possibility that she could star opposite Mr. Perfectionist when she had shared the Mahabharata placed on a coffee table in her Instagram story section. She is currently shooting for YRF's upcoming film Thugs Of Hindostan, which also stars Aamir, Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif in lead roles.

According to reports, Aamir Khan's Mahabharata will be co-produced by business tycoon Mukesh Ambani. The film is said to be made with an approximate budget of Rs 1,000-crore. The movie will reportedly feature a host of big stars.

Earlier, while speaking about his dream project on the sidelines of Secret Superstar promotions, Aamir told Filmfare, "My dream project is to make the Mahabharata but I'm afraid of starting the project as I know it will consume at least 15-20 years of my life."

He also expressed his desire to play Lord Krishna in the epic drama. "My favourite character is Karna, but I don't know if I'll be able to play him due to my physique. I may just have to play Krishna. I also liked the character of Arjun. He was the only person who asked Krishna why he had to kill his own people," he added.

Baahubali director SS Rajamouli had also expressed his desire of making Maharabharata with Aamir last year. He also confirmed that he met the Dangal actor only once and said that the movie was not on the cards at the moment.