Ever since the sequel to 2010’s hit Once Upon A Time In Mumbai was announced with Akshay Kumar leading the ensemble cast, speculation has been rife about who would play the second lead alongside him. Some of the names considered were Shahid Kapoor and Imran Khan, but it seems it will be the star of the original film, Emraan Hashmi, who would rub shoulders with Akki.
“They needed a relatively younger actor opposite Akshay Kumar, and while feelers were sent across to Shahid and Imran, nothing was finalised. But now there are solid indications that it will be Emraan who’s been summoned for the job,” says an industry insider.
But considering how packed Emraan’s schedule is, it does look unlikely. After wrapping up Jannat 2, he will promote Shanghai, begin work on Raaz 3 and Daayan and then step into Karan Johar’s next. And he also has Rajkumar Gupta’s Ghanchakkar. A source close to Emraan says that he won’t definitely be a part of the film. “As far as Emraan is concerned, Once Upon… is not even on the agenda. He has moved on to half a dozen films and they will keep him occupied,” the friend said.