Searching for sister

Nayanthara, Yash and Kriti Sanon

Over the weekend, reports surfaced that Kareena Kapoor Khan is no longer a part of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups due to date issues. The development not only puts the brakes on the actor's south debut, but also means we'll have to wait longer to see her share screen space with Kannada superstar Yash. Considering Geetu Mohandas' multi-lingual project is slated to roll by June, the last-minute casting change has the makers exploring other options for the role. Industry insiders suggest that the frontrunners to play Yash's on-screen sister are Nayanthara and Kriti Sanon.

It turns out internally, the top priority is to work out the date dispute with Kapoor, failing which they will seek an actor who has pan-India appeal. A source reveals, "The project is expensive. So, they want an actor with a wide appeal, since the sister's part is crucial to the narrative. Nayanthara would be a perfect fit given her massive popularity down south. Bringing together Yash and her will be quite a casting coup. But since the makers want to build it as a pan-India film, they are also considering Kriti, who is currently one of Bollywood's biggest female actors. If Kriti comes on board, she will have to juggle it with Housefull 5. The makers are likely to decide by next week and approach one of them." Toxic also stars Kiara Advani as Yash's love interest.