Kareena Kapoor
Kareena KapoorVarinder Chawla

Kareena Kapoor Khan's character in "Gabbar" is similar to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's role in the 2000 flick "Mohabbatein", according to reports.

The actress, who was initially set to perform an item number for the Akshay Kumar film, now plays a cameo instead, it has been reported.

And Khan's role in "Gabbar" is much like Bachchan's role in "Mohabbatein", where the actress plays a character which deies before the events of the film but appears through flashbacks and male lead Shah Rukh Khan's imagination.

In "Gabbar" Khan will be seen playing Kumar's wife, who is killed in the film's first part. The actress, however, appears throughout the film in flashbacks, informed a source to Pink Villa.

"Bebo and Akshay share a fabulous rapport. They've played husband and wife in 'Aitraaz'. She agreed to do so again because her character propels the story forward," the actress' friend informed the website.

"Gabbar, produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, is the official remake of AR Murugadoss' blockbuster Tamil film "Ramana" (2002). In the original, Simran played the role of the late wife of Vijayakanth.

Meanwhile, Khan, who is low on luck with respect to film offers, might now have to opt out of Dev Benegal's "Bombay Samurai" as well. The project has been delayed for long, and it is also understood that male lead Farhan Akhtar has now left the project.

However, the actress's endorsement tie-ups are presently keeping her on her toes. She is scheduled to travel Bucharest for an ad film shoot next week.