Katrina Kaif was Anurag Kashyap’s first choice for Bombay Velvet

Katrina Kaif is undeniably one of the most sought-after actors in Bollywood right now. This year, with two back-to-back hit releases — Ek Tha Tiger with Salman Khan and Jab Tak Hai Jaan with Shah Rukh Khan — she has further strengthened her position on the top. And now, another piece of news consolidates that fact.

Apparently, Katrina was the first choice for Anurag Kashyap’s dream project, Bombay Velvet. “Her screen presence is great and her demand in the industry is increasing by the day. Anurag was considering her for the project first,” reveals a source, adding that even though Katrina liked the project, she could not come on board due to date issues. The role is now being played by Anushka Sharma.

“Katrina has no time in 2013. She has two back-to-back shooting schedules for Dhoom:3 with Aamir Khan and then she will start working on the Knight And Day remake with Hrithik Roshan. Also, a film like Bombay Velvet needs a lot of time and attention. The deal wouldn’t have worked out if her time was limited,” says our source.

Apparently, Anurag also wanted to bring Katrina and the lead actor, Ranbir Kapoor, together in the film as he feels they have great chemistry on screen. The source adds, “In Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009) and Raajneeti (2010), the two were very good. And people want to see a lot more of them together.”