Salman may be the central protaganist, but Kat...

Kabir Khan may have pulled off quite a casting coup by getting Katrina Kaif to star opposite Salman Khan in Ek Tha Tiger, but the director claims that wasn't what he was thinking of when he cast his leading lady. "The character required Kat and Kat alone to portray it," says Kabir. While we wonder just what role it is that no one but Kat can play, Kabir adds, "She showed so much maturity in New York, she was superb. So when Ek Tha Tiger was to be made, I knew I had to have her as my leading lady. That her stature has grown in the interim is only the icing on the cake. I would have roped her in anyway for any film of mine because it was so great working with her the first time around." Kabir isn't unaware that the Kat-Sallu pairing, after their alleged break-up last year, is causing a fair bit of frenzy in the industry. "They look great together and their chemistry will show on screen," says Kabir. "However, Kat is not there for ornamental purposes. Salman may be the central protagonist, but Kat has a big role."

Well Kabir certainly seems to be on cloud nine where his star pairing is concerned. For his sake, we hope this Sallu-Kat project won't suffer the same fate as Yuvraaj.