Salman Khan has been signed to play the role immortalized by Mahesh Babu in Telugu. But who will play Salman's leading lady? In Tere Naam, Satish Kaushik's remake of the Tamil blockbuster Sethu, Salman was paired with a newcomer Bhoomika Chawla.

Boney too built his project on the pristine premise. "We don't want any of the girls who have already worked with Salman. In the Pokkiri remake, we want to create a fresh pair with Salman and a girl he has never worked with. I think audiences are tired of watching him with the established heroines," said Boney on Thursday before he left for a ten-day trip to London and LA.

"I've to take a decision very shortly," he sighed. "Time is running out. And we need to start shooting in September." One possibility that was seriously considered was Asin, the Malayalam actress who co-starred with Mahesh Babu in the original. But Asin has apparently signed an exclusive contract for the Hindi remake of another South Indian blockbuster Gajini opposite Aamir Khan.

Now Boney is looking at Kangana. "Both my wife Sridevi and I saw her work and in Gangster thought there was something really special about her. She isn't like the other girls in Bollywood. She has a very unique personality."

Kangana is now in the reckoning for the role. Although she's half Salman's age, she's as old as Katrina Kaif, who has starred opposite Salman in Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya.