It is no secret that Telugu actress Ileana D'Cruz refused to pair up with Ajit and Vijay -- big names in Tamil cinema -- quite a few time earlier. But it came as a surprise when she refused to work with Rajnikanth [Images].

Of course, she did not shrug off the superstar immediately. When she was approached to work with Rajni in Soundarya's animation film, Sultan: The Warrior, Ileana gave her nod, as well as her dates for the film shoot.

• Trailer: Watch Rajnikanth in Sultan

It is said that Ileana -- who was once paid a cool Rs 1 crore for a Telugu film -- was willing to reduce her fee to Rs 30 lakhs for Sultan. But it appears Soundarya, the producer and director, was ready to cough up only Rs 10 lakhs for a three-four day shoot. So Ileana decided to opt out.

But what has upset the actress is the rumour that she was dropped from the project, as she was not willing to compromise on her fee.

Ileana's loss is Vijayalakshmi's gain, who shot to fame with Venkat Prabhu's Chennai 600028.

Text: Aravindan