Reportedly, Hrithik had been having second thoughts about the project and has now officially opted out of the film.

To make matters worse, would-be co-star Kareena Kapoor has also decided to give the project a miss.

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani (who runs Excel Entertainment along with Partner and Zoya's brother Farhan Akhtar ) had previously said they would begin filming in May 2007 as Kareena had given dates from then, but supposedly Hrithik started demanding changes in the script causing Zoya go hunting for a new hero.

It is learnt that she spoke to Akshay Kumar, but he declined.

Apparently, it seems Kareena had also allotted the same dates to Imtiaz Ali's next film. According to a source, "Once Hrithik opted out, Kareena decided not to do the film either."

When contacted, Imtiaz opted to not discuss when he is beginning his film with Kareena, only saying. "I am sitting with some people. Let's talk later."

The source adds, "Things haven't been easy for Zoya from the time she planned the film. She was supposed to make her debut with a film titled Luck — By Chance in 2004. Unfortunately, the film never took off.