Hrithik unavailable, Kareena moves to Farhan

Hrithik Roshan's resurfacing headaches have caused collateral damage to Kareena Kapoor's date diary. The actress who had reserved 200 days for 'Shuddhi' was taken aback when she heard that the film's first schedule has been pushed back to mid-2014 owing to the actor's ill health.

While Shuddhi's director Karan Malhotra, has taken the hero's sick leave in his stride, Kareena is not ready to sit idle till Hrithik is available after completing Bang Bang. So the actress has now allotted the dates to Dev Benegal's as yet-untitled film which will see her paired with Farhan Akhtar.

Dev who was supposed to start the film in mid-March next year, is speeding up the pre-production. Kareena will now start shooting for the film in February, according to a source close to the development.

This will be Kareena's first film with Farhan and a friend of the actress told TOI, "She appreciates Farhan's work as an actor and director and saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag thrice. She is going to spend January preparing for the role. This is Dev's first commercial film and she wants to spend time with the director so that they are in sync with each other's vision."

The untitled film, produced by Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani's banner Excel Entertainment, will reportedly flag off in Mumbai, followed by a second schedule in Delhi.

Dev, the nephew of Shyam Benegal, is known for off-beat films like The English Patient and Road, Movie.