Sanjay Gupta: 'Asin Thottumkal not in running for Shootout at Wadala'

Sanjay Gupta has denied that he ever considered Asin Thottumkal for Shootout at Wadala.

The Ready star was last seen playing an agony aunt in the celebrity advice show Superstar Santa.

Gupta told Hindustan Times: "Asin was never approached. I think either she or her manager is delusional. She was never in the running for my film. We need a powerhouse performer for the film. So once it was clear that Vidya Balan couldn't do the film, our only choice was Kangana Ranaut, and not Asin.

"I had written the role for Vidya, Asin can never fit into the part. All [the news] came from out of the blue. [Producer] Ekta [Kapoor] was also very upset about it. Even when we were speaking to Vidya, we had Kangana in mind as the backup."

Shootout at Wadala's male lead Vivek Oberoi was dropped by Gupta in January because the director was fed up of waiting for him to commit to the shoot.

In May, it was reported that Thottumkal is to star in the novel adaptation 2 States opposite Shah Rukh Khan.