Salman Khan wanted to cast Katrina Kaif in Wanted; Boney Kapoor reveals how Ayesha Takia was cast: "We toyed with several names"

Producer Boney Kapoor recently opened up about the casting of Salman Khan starrer Wanted, revealing that actress Ayesha Takia, who eventually played the female lead, was almost not selected for the film.

In a conversation with Rediff, Boney shared that after watching the Telugu blockbuster Pokiri, starring Mahesh Babu, he decided to remake the film in Hindi with Salman Khan in the lead role.

Recalling the early stages, he said, "I wanted him to see the film and had arranged two preview shows, but because of his hectic schedule, Salman couldn’t make it. I was worried that the Tamil remake would release, and if it was as big a hit as the original, another Bollywood actor or producer would evince an interest in the Hindi remake rights, and like with Ghajini, I would lose out on Pokiri too."

Eventually, Salman managed to watch the film and gave his nod to the project. Following this, choreographer-turned-director Prabhu Deva was roped in to helm the Hindi remake. While Boney was keen on casting a fresh face as the female lead, Salman suggested casting his frequent co-star and then-girlfriend Katrina Kaif in the film.