Jacqueline, Chitrangda and Mahie for Emraan Hashmi's Daayan

It’s Daayan all the way for Vishal Bhardwaj. After 2 States was thrown forward to 2012, Vishal Bhardwaj got busy with the 16 songs for Mira Nair’s stage adaptation of Monsoon Wedding. But now plans have changed. Mira has suddenly got all the relevant permission to shoot for her delayed film The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Mira gets busy with her feature film in August. Vishal will now shoot Daayan in the next couple of months.

The hunt for the three leading ladies is almost over.

Says a source close to the project, “There are several leading ladies who have sent feelers to Vishal for the three roles.

When Rani Mukherjee had been approached for one of the parts it was presumed that one of the female characters was more pivotal than the other two. Not so.

The minute it was made known that all the three leading ladies’ parts were equally important a queue of girls showed up at Vishal’s doorstep. Rather than being strapped for options Vishal is now spoilt for choices. ”

The last we heard, Jacqueline Fernandez, Chitrangda Singh and Mahie Gill had been shortlisted for the three parts.

The leading ladies have been duly informed that Emraan Hashmi remains. The rest of the cast is variable. It’s Hashmi or nothing for Vishal Bhardwaj’s film.

After some A-lister heroines said no to working with Emraan Hashmi in the supernatural thriller Daayan, Vishal Bhardwaj and his producer Ekta Kapoor made it very clear that though the film had a feminine title Emraan was their top priority in the cast.

Says a source, “Both Vishal and Ekta believe Emraan is the fulcrum of the script and the only non-negotiable member of the cast.

Vishal thinks Emraan has huge potential. He wanted to cast Emraan in 7 Khoon Maaf in the role that Irran Khan eventually did. That didn’t work out.

Rohan Sippy who wanted to cast Emraan in Rana Daggubati’s role in Dum Maro Dum is casting Emraan in his next. Dibakar Bannerjee had an option of choosing between Katrina Kaif and Emraan for his new film Shanghai. Dibakar chose Emraan. ”

You may or may not think Emraan Hashmi to be a major star. But Vishal Bhardwaj certainly thinks so. In Daayan he chose Hashmi over Rani Mukherjee.