Shahid Kapoor is Ekta Kapoor's chhota rajan

Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Part 2 just got bigger. After casting Akshay Kumar as Dawood, the older version of Emraan Hashmi's character in the first part, producer Ekta Kapoor and director Milan Luthria met up with Shahid Kapoor and asked him to play Chhota Rajan, Dawood's best man turned rival in the film.

The film, that goes on floors early next year, was launched amidst much fanfare at an award function during Diwali last year. A rough image of Akshay Kumar's look in the film was also unveiled during the event. However, the hunt for the other leading men and women for the film was still on.

While there were speculations about the choice of actress to play the role of Dawood's girl Mandakini in the film, nothing so far had been said about the other male lead. "The role of Chhota Rajan is as intense as the one Shahid Kapoor portrayed in Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey. He is a very good actor who has portrayed a wide range of characters till date. He is one of the top choices to play Chhota Rajan," revealed a source.

Akshay will pick up from where Emraan Hashmi left off in the first part. He will take his character forward. Shahid will be the new entrant in the story. "Where there's Dawood, there has to be his arch-rival Chhota Rajan. Shahid has been asked to play a very long and key role in the film," added the source.

However, Ekta's attempt at pulling off a casting coup for the project may face a few hitches. Kareena is said to be one of the leading contenders for the role of Dawood's lover Mandakini, one might wonder whether the actress or Shahid would want to work together again, considering the two did not even want to dub for their film Milenge Milenge together. But then again, Kareena reportedly, has no problem working with Shahid anymore.

Our source said, "Milan had long meetings with Shahid. He explained him the script and the character. Akshay is currently working out to get the rugged look required for him to play Dawood. Shahid too will require to work on his Chhota Rajan avatar."