Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan
Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan worked together in Varinder Chawla

Bollywood actor Fawad Khan has reportedly replaced Sidharth Malhotra in Karan Johar's next. Fawad will also make a special appearance in Karan's upcoming film, "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil."

Fawad and Sidharth have worked together in Shakun Batra's "Kapoor and Sons," which was produced by Dharma Productions. Now, the Pakistani heartthrob will be seen as the solo actor in a KJo movie. According to a Mid-Day report, Karan will make the official announcement once the lead actress and the director are finalised.

"The filmmaker-actor jodi is willing to collaborate on more films since they share a good rapport. They have been spotted together on numerous occasions and have discussed few ideas as well as scripts. Fawad recently signed a film after he liked the script," a source told the leading daily.

The report suggests that the filmmaker's mother Hiroo Johar became a fan of Fawad after watching his Pakistani serials. And it is one of the reasons why Karan has roped in the hunk for the film. KJo and Fawad had already shared stage at IIFA Rocks 2016 as co-hosts.

It was earlier speculated that Sidharth was the first choice but later the director approached Fawad, who accepted the offer immediately. "Initially, Sidharth Malhotra was being considered for the role. But, later, Karan approached Fawad and he immediately agreed to be part of it. He fits the bill and this film will mark his first solo hero outing in Bollywood," an insider told Mid-Day.

Meanwhile, Fawad is said to be in Karachi with his wife, who is pregnant with their second child. In "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil," Fawad is playing a DJ from Karachi who falls in love with Anushka Sharma's character who belongs to a royal family at the same place. Scheduled to be released on Oct. 28, the romantic drama also stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor.