Deepika Padukone, Salman Khan
Deepika Padukone, Salman KhanVarinder Chawla

Speculations regarding the leading lady opposite Salman Khan in Kabir Khan's "Tubelight" continue to do the rounds. While some media outlets have said Deepika Padukone, some other have mentioned that Katrina Kaif might star opposite Salman in the film, but nothing has been finalised yet.

Picking a leading lady for the film has put director Kabir in a terrible dilemma. Apparently, Kabir wants to cast Katrina in the film, but Salman is keen on working with Deepika. While Katrina is friends with Kabir, Salman has an upper hand. It is also being said that Deepika has been sending feelers to Salman.

"While Kabir would like to cast his pal Katrina—who incidentally is also Salman's pal—whomKabir has worked with earlier in New York, Ek Tha Tiger and Phantom, Salman has been getting feelers from Deepika .He feels an untried fresh pair at this point in time would make more sense," Subhash K Jha quoted a source as saying.

Another tabloid reported that Deepika has been confirmed for the film and might start shooting for the film in a month or so. "Deepika has indeed been finalised for the role and the makers will head to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for the shooting schedule which will begin in a couple of months," a source close to the development informed Mid-Day.

Also, trade experts believe that Salman-Katrina's on-screen chemistry might not work well at the box office, the entertainment portal reported. However, Kabir wants to support Katrina, who has been going through a low phase in her life after her alleged breakup with Ranbir Kapoor and her movies crashing at the box office.

With all the speculations, we can only wait for the makers of "Tubelight" to make an official announcement about the leading actress who will romance Salman.