Six months ago, Bipasha Basu turned down the role of drug-pushing flower girl Tracy in Rohit Sippy's Dum Maro Dum citing unavailable dates. The producers looked for a replacement. Luckily for them, Bipasha came around in time.
Bips earlier had reservations about co-star Rana Daggubatti because she had never heard of him. When beau John Abraham recommended the project and the Telugu hero, Bipasha was on.
All sorted out Says Bipasha from Bangkok, "John knew the script. And once I told him I was doing it, he told me he was glad. I was offered Dum Maro Dum six months ago. But nothing could be finalised because I had a date problem." The date issue has now been sorted out. Says Bipasha, "We're ready to roll in March. It's an interesting part."
Knocked-out Kangna
According to an insider, "Kangna was approached for the part of the junkie flower-girl after Bips turned down the role. But she quoted Rs 1 crore as her fee." Says the source, "The Sippys were keen to sign Kangna as she really suited the role. Kangna thought she would wrangle a huge fee at that late stage."
But the Sippys were horrified, more so when Kangna told them Rs 1 crore was her market fee these days. Says the source, "Kangna had not bargained for the production controller of Knockout, Husain Bhai being on board DMD. He knew Kangna had received only Rs 50 lakhs for Knockout. So goodbye it was, to Kangs."
