Last year’s Bollywood blockbuster Dabangg is being remade in Tamil and Telugu. While Sarah-Jane Dias who made her Hindi film debut in Game recently, is likely to play the female lead in the Telugu version opposite Pawan Kalyan, the Tamil version is still in limbo. The problem is finding a girl for southern star Simbu, who slips into Salman Khan’s shoes, in the Tamil cop caper.

Sonakshi Sinha, the original leading lady, has declined to move down South. Katrina Kaif was a likely choice but she’s too busy with A-list projects in B-town. The producers then looked towards Kajal Agarwal who has hits like the Tamil Saroja and the Telugu Magadheera to her credit. Kajal after a ‘friendly’ appearance in Kyun… Ho Gaya Na (2004), returns as the lead in the Ajay Devgn starrer, Singham. But apparently, Simbu was keener on Sonam Kapoor.

Sonam admits to being offered the role.The buzz was that she was seriously considering it but her star-father Anil Kapoor advised her not to look to the South or Hollywood but concentrate on Bollywood at the moment. So she’s turned down the offer. “Yes, I’m not doing the film. There are so many films that I’ve rejected that went on to do amazingly well at the box-office. The Tamil Dabangg could be one of them. And it wasn’t because of dad that I nixed the offer but because I just don’t have the dates,” sighs the actor, who is currently in Switzerland.

She points out that after a forced fortnight-long break when she was hospitalised, she won’t get a day off till July. “This was a big project and I didn’t want to make a commitment and then be hard-pressed for time,” she reasons. “After the recent health scare, I want to space my work out, do things aaraam se (at a relaxed pace). I don’t have to be a part of the rat race and do a 100-metre dash everyday!”