When Salman said no to Katrina's sister Isabelle

Baahubali Director S S Rajamouli's next... R Madhavan in hospital...
All this and more in Subhash K Jha's Bollywood Buzz.
IMAGE: Isabelle Kaif. Photograph: Kind courtesy Isabelle Kaif/Instagram

If reliable sources are to be believed, Salman Khan came quite close to casting his favourite heroine Katrina Kaif's sister Isabelle opposite his brother-in-law Aayush Sharma in Loveratri.

Isabelle was almost finalised when debutante Warina Hussain stepped in.

So what happened?

IMAGE: Warina Hussain with Aayush in Loveratri. Photograph: Kind courtesy Aayush Sharma/Instagram

Apparently, Isabelle was the perfect fit for Aayush's launch vehicle, but her lack of command over Hindi and Urdu made her iffy for the project.

"Isabelle can't speak Hindi at all," says a source. "Katrina sailed in the same boat. Her initial films were handled by a dubbing artiste, but Salman doesn't want Isabelle to take that route. He wants her to speak her own lines from her first film."

"That's why they finalised Warina for Loveratri. Isabelle will make her Bollywood debut opposite Salman's other protégé, Sooraj Pancholi, in a film to be produced by T-Series and directed by Remo D'Souza's assistant Stanley D'Costa."

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Ram Charan Teja to take on NTR Jr

IMAGE: Ram Charan Teja -- seen here in Magadheera -- will feature in S S Rajamouli's next film with NTR Jr, seen here right. Photograph: Kind courtesy NTR Jr/Instagram

While Magadheera pitched Ram Charan Teja (who celebrates his birthday today, March 27!) against Dev Gill, Baahubali was a battle of supremacy between Prabhas and Rana Daggubatti.

Baahubali Director S S Rajamouli next movie features Ram Charan Teja and NTR Jr.

"It won't be a costume drama," a source tells me. "The conflict is set in contemporary times. Teja and NTR Jr will be pitched against one another in a battle that will take them through various countries. This film will not as expensive as Baahubali, but it will have high production values. Also, it will be in Telugu, not Hindi."

"All I can tell you right now is that I am working on a project," Rajamouli says. "I don't want to do a costume drama or a period film next. This will be set in contemporary times. Hopefully, it will be as much fun to watch as Baahubali. And yes, I am making it in Telugu."

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'The best time to be an actor with a shoulder to heal'

IMAGE: Madhavan, after the surgery on his right shoulder. Photograph: Kind courtesy R Madhavan/Instagram

R Madhavan is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and seems taken aback to know he is playing the 'villain' in Rohit Shetty's Simmba.

Or so, a section of the press informs him.

"Really? That's news to me. I thought the only villain in my life was my shoulder injury, which is healing slowly and steadily after the operation.Yeh doosra villain kahaan se aa gaya?" Maddy chuckles.

"My shoulder is much better, but I can't get back to work until it is fully healed. I need rehab for two more months, so I can't think of taking on any other film this year," says the actor who has four movies lined up this year.

The surgery comes at a time when Madhavan's performance in the Web series Breathe has earned him a new breed of fans.

"I've always been poised at a transition in my career at just the right time. Early on, I made my switch from television to movies, then from Tamil to Hindi cinema. Now, I'm doing a Web series alongside some challenging movie assignments."

"This is the best time to be an actor with a shoulder to heal. It gives me time to lie back and plan my next move."