MUMBAI — Producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali denied that Ileana D'Cruz was part of the film Gabbar, a day after media reports said the southern beauty and Barfi actress bagged the lead role. “The report is absolutely false. It is most definitely not Ileana. We are yet to zero in on a leading lady for Akshay in Gabbar. But it will be someone who brings a freshness to the project,” said Bhansali. Another source close to the project said the heroine's part in Gabbar is work in progress. “The subject is an out-and-out one-man show. In the original Tamil film the heroine played by Simran dies in the first-half of the plot. Her role is being rewritten for the Hindi version. Only then would the casting be decided.” — SG
