Samantha out of Shankar’s movie

Barely a few days after the cast and crew of Shankar’s next with Vikram, I, was announced, we hear that Samantha will no longer be part of the film.

When contacted, Samantha’s spokesperson said, “Yes, she (Samantha) is not doing the film with Shankar as it was clashing with her Telugu film’s dates. Also, Vikram has two looks in the film and this means there could be a gap between the shooting schedules. As Samantha has previously committed to her Telugu projects, she will not be in a position to give bulk dates for Shankar’s film.” Interestingly, the actress had also opted out of Mani Ratnam’s Kadal a few weeks ago citing date clashes.
A source close to the film’s unit said, “There were a lot of uncertainties over the film’s leading heroine. Even at the time of making the official announcement, Samantha hadn’t been signed on, though she was being considered.”

Currently, the team — which is hunting for locations — are also on the lookout for a replacement for the heroine. “It could be a well-established heroine or even a newcomer,” added the source, “The character of the leading lady will be very powerful and Shankar is looking at someone who would fit the bill.”