Deepika Padukone is surely on top of her game at the moment, thanks to a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed films to her credit. This leading lady seems to be lapping up projects like nobody's business.
According to The Asian Age, she has replaced Priyanka Chopra in Jasmeet Reen's "Gustakhiyan" and will be seen romancing Irrfan Khan. The pairing doesn't seem odd as Padukone and Khan have done a film together ("Piku") in which their onscreen relationship had room for some romance.
The film is essentially a biopic that aims at capturing the essence of poet Sahir Ludhianvi and author Amrita Pritam's stormy relationship. "Since Priyanka got along very well with Gustakhiyan producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, reports of her playing Amrita Pritam were taken to be authentic. But the truth is, Priyanka is not doing Gustakhiyan," an insider informed the leading daily.
What worked in the "Bajirao Mastani" actress' favour is her box office performance and the fact that the Shoojit Sircar directorial was a hit, whereas "7 Khoon Maaf", in which Khan shared screen space with Chopra, wasn't.
"After Piku where they played a tentative couple, Irrfan and Deepika would get a chance to do a full-fledged romantic film. It would be a terrific follow-up. On the other hand, Irrfan and Priyanka have only done 'Saat Khoon Maaf' together which was a dud at the box office," the source further elaborated.
The interesting bit is, a few years ago Chopra turned up her nose after Khan was roped in for the project. According to a DNA report, she wanted a bigger star to be cast opposite her.