Deepika Padukone is ready to smooch Emraan Hashmi?

Deepika Padukone, Emraaan Hashmi, Kareena Kapoor

It was earlier reported that Kareena would be romancing serial kisser Emran Hashmi in the ambitious Ekta Kapoor- Karan Johar venture. However Kareena left in the middle and now film makers replaced her with Deepika Padukone. Kareena left the moment she came to know that Emran would be her co star for unknown reasons. It was reported that she was not comfortable with Emran. However daring Deepika has no such feelings.

A source close to the Balaji-Dharma project revealed, "It is strange Kareena was not happy with her role. She also told Ekta and Karan that her wedding would be around the same time they wanted to start shooting for the film. It's a heroine-oriented film and Emraan is not the mainstay of the project. Deepika was so excited about her role that she agreed to it a couple of days before boarding the flight to Turkey, where she is currently shooting for Race 2."

According to the source, later, Kareena had a change of heart and expressed a wish to return to the project. But it was too late by then. "It would have been unethical to show Deepika the door then. Moreover, they were unanimous in their opinion that Deepika could pull off the role as efficiently as Kareena would have." "The film is an urban take on love - it is quirky, edgy and dramatic," says an insider. Debutant director Akshay Roy who wields the megaphone is in fifth gear for his challenging assignment, which starts later this year. Sources from both Dharma and Balaji confirmed the developments.