Samantha's Loss is Rakul Preet Singh, Sri Divya's Gain

Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu has missed two big projects due to prior commitments, and Rakul Preet Singh and Sri Divya have bagged the roles.

Samantha is one of the most popular actresses of South India and her presence in a film ensures its success at the box office. Therefore, she is the first choice of most big-ticket filmmakers in Tamil and Telugu film industry. But, she accepts only those that excite her.

According to recent reports, ace director Srinu Vaitla had approached Samantha with an offer to play the lead role opposite Ram Charan Teja in his next film. Initially, it was learnt that the actress had accepted his offer, but later the makers replaced her with Rakul Preet Singh of the "Venkatadri Express" fame.

Sources close to the actress say Samantha is busy with "10 Enradhukulla" and a couple of other Tamil and Telugu projects. She has opted out of Srinu Vaitla's project as she couldn't adjust her schedule accordingly. Some reports suggest that she was dropped from the film due to financial matters. However, the actress is yet to reveal the real reason for not accepting the offer.

Just a week later, the news of Samantha rejecting another big offer surfaced. The second project was a Tamil and Telugu remake of Malayalam film, "Bangalore Days". Since Samantha is a popular face in both the industries, she was the first choice for the film; but she reportedly rejected it due to some unknown reason.

This bilingual remake of "Bangalore Days" is directed by "Bommarillu" fame Bhaskar. The makers of this movie have now roped in actress Sri Divya, who has featured in several Tamil and Telugu movies and has been successful in impressing the viewers of both languages.

"Post Samantha's exit, the makers decided to go for a relatively new face for the leading lady's role. They watched Sri Divya's earlier films "Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam" and "Jeeva" in Tamil and were impressed with her performance. Moreover, since the film is being made in Telugu and Tamil, and Sri Divya is a popular face in both the regions, the makers believed that she fits the bill," a source said, according to The Times of India.