Why kriti’s loss is Anushka’s gain

Anushka Sharma bagged the lead female role in Sultan, despite Salman rooting for Kriti to get the part

After much deliberation, Ali Abbas Zafar’s Salman Khan-starrer Sultan finally has a leading lady — Anushka Sharma. This, despite Salman and Sajid Nadiadwala (who launched Kriti) rooting for the actress to bag the part — because producer Aditya Chopra wasn’t too convinced.

Says a source, “Adi was keen to launch a new girl and over the last 2-3 months at least 40-50 girls were auditioned. But none fit the bill or the character traits that the makers were looking for. The other name suggested to him was Parineeti Chopra, but he wasn’t fully convinced. Pari went out of her way and did a sexy photo shoot in a boxing ring after losing oodles of weight. Adi still wasn’t impressed.”

If a new face wasn’t making the cut, Adi reckoned it was best for a Yash Raj girl to fill in. But since Pari also didn’t fit the bill, Anushka was the next name in mind.

“Anushka met Adi and agreed to do the film in just one meeting. A photo shoot was arranged and the official announcement was made.”

Great going for Anushka, but when will Pari break the jinx