By Kunal M Shah and Vickey Lalwani

Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol replace Imran and Ranbir who have decided to first star together in their home production

Filmmakers who want to cast hotties Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor together will have to wait for a long time. While the two buddies are on the most-wanted list of top filmmakers, the two hunks have an altogether different plan, which is not only the perfect way to cash in on their popularity but also makes great business sense.

Apart from Karan Johar, Ranbir and Imran were also in advanced talks with Zoya Akhtar who has been keen to cast them together in her forthcoming film. The latest news is that although they loved Zoya’s script, they are no longer part of her film as they want to first star together in their own production, which they will start soon. According to sources, they want their real-life camaraderie to shine on screen for the first time in their film.

The film is being made by Excel Entertainment. Imran and Ranbir often meet to discuss promising ideas despite their busy schedules.

Our source said, “Zoya had approached Imran and Ranbir to star in her new film. Farhan Akhtar had already agreed to be a part of the film and Ranbir-Imran too had loved the script. Ranbir had made up his mind to star in the film. Imran loved his role and was more or less convinced about it. However, Ranbir and Imran eventually decided that if they have to star together it should first be a film which will be produced by them. Imran and Ranbir will soon produce a film together for which they have had discussions with a couple of directors, Imtiaz Ali being one of them. They politely declined Zoya’s offer. She has now finalised Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol in place of Imran and Ranbir. Zoya can’t wait to start shooting as the script is brilliant.”

Zoya Akhtar said, “I am still writing my script. I will think about my film’s cast only after I am done with the script. I don’t want to say anything more.”