Shraddha Kapoor
Shraddha Kapoor Shraddha Kapoor/Facebook page

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor has reportedly bagged the female lead role "Milan Talkies" opposite Shahid Kapoor.

Shraddha, last seen in blockbuster "Aashiqui 2", has been signed in for the lead in the Ekta Kapoor produced "Milan Talkies", dispelling rumours that Priyanka Chopra would play the part.

The film went through a rough patch initially with an ugly spat between Ekta and Imran Khan, which eventually led the actor to opt out. 

With Shahid signed as the new lead, there were concerns about Priyanka playing the female lead given their history as alleged lovers. Finally, the production team roped in Shraddha for the role.

Priyanka was initially gung-ho about the project, which will be directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, but she later said the film's team hadn't approached her back.

According to Daily news Analysis, Shraddha being signed in for the film catered to director Dhulia's demand for a fresh pairing onscreen.

Contrary to this, Mid-Day quoted producer Ekta Kapoor as saying, "Priyanka had date issues as her dates for Milan Talkies were clashing with another film. Since we changed the lead actor, the dates had to be reworked. By then, her dates were already allotted to another project. But we let her go on one condition -- that she would have to do another film with us."

Putting the matter to rest, now that the leads have been finalised the shooting is expected to begin, with the film's release being slated for 2014. Several locations in Uttar Pradesh has been zeroed in on for the shooting.

Incidentally, "Milan Talkies" is Shraddha's second film with Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures. Earlier this year, she was signed for Mohit Suri-directed "Villian" with Siddharth Malhotra and Ritesh Deshmukh.