Actress Rakul Preet Singh, who is currently busy shooting for Ram Charan's "Dhruva," is set to replace Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra in superstar Mahesh Babu and AR Murugadoss' next film.

It was rumoured that Parineeti Chopra would make her debut in Southern movies and she would romance Mahesh Babu in her first movie, which is simultaneously made in Telugu and Tamil. AR Murugadoss wanted an actress with a national appeal and he approached Parineeti for the film. But the director reportedly ousted her from the project after she quoted a hefty sum as her salary.

"The idea was to rope in a face with a national appeal. The makers were also on the look out for someone who would make a fresh pair with Mahesh Babu. And that's how the search extended till Bollywood. But Parineeti proved to be more 'pricey' than expected and the makers had second thoughts," a source in the know told Hyderabad Times.

Parineeti Chopra is currently busy with the shooting of her upcoming Bollywood projects like "Dishoom" and "Meri Pyaari Bindu." After wrapping them up, she would Homi Adjania's "Takadum," which is about about a girl, who has the sky in her eyes, and a guy, whose only dream is to touch that goddamn sky.

Her bulk dates for "Takadum" made her unavailable for the promotions of her debut Southern film, which is another reason for ousting her. "The actress' schedule is packed with Homi Adjania's "Takadum," which requires her to shoot in Europe extensively. So, there is no way she would be able to allot time for promotion for her Tollywood debut. Hindi cinema is obviously her priority," added the source.

Rakul Preet Singh made her debut in Bollywood with 2014 film "Yaariyan" and she will be next seen in Rajkummar Rao's next Hindi movie "Shimla Mirchi." This Punjabi beauty may not stand equal to Parineeti Chopra in her national appeal, but the actress apparently meets expectations of the director. Hence, AR Murugadoss is said to have approached her with an offer.

But Rakul Preet Singh is yet to give her consent to work with Mahesh Babu in the movie. "Rakul has been approached. While she hasn't signed the film yet, she has shown interest to be part of the film especially since she has already missed out on a chance to work with him in Brahmostsavam," a source close to the actress told HT.

Rakul Preet Singh has worked with young leading Telugu actors like Ram Charan (Bruce Lee and Dhruva), Junior NTR (Nannaku Prematho), Allu Arjun (Sarainodu) and Ravi Teja (Kick 2). This is the first time she is getting an offer to star alongside Mahesh Babu and she will not miss this opportunity, say the experts from the industry.