Sonakshi Sinha to debut opposite Salman Khan

Shatrughan Sinha's laadli beti Sonakshi Sinha has been signed opposite Salman Khan in Arbaaz Khan's untitled home production (Arbaaz Khan Productions) directed by Anurag Kashyap's brother, Abhinav. This will be Arbaaz's debut production and Sonakshi's launch pad into B-Town. She was pencilled in last Friday.

Says Arbaaz, "We have given Sonakshi a brief and she was excited about the story. It's a romantic drama about human relationships and requires a beautiful, charming girl with a strong personality who will be able to stand ground against Salman."

He adds, "We had the option to go for a big actress or completely new talent. But we went for Sonakshi as we think that their fresh pairing makes a great combination. Now we are working on the other formalities. We also have to sit down and give her a proper narration. It's a project we are both looking forward to."

Abhinav and Arbaaz have currently locked in the script which has been written by Abhinav. The film will go on the floors in September. Arbaaz adds, "I also gave dad (Salim Khan) a script narration when we were ready. He liked it.

There were certain changes to be made also as I wanted to the story to fit in with Salman and the film to have a bigger canvas. Now the script is ready we have begun casting for the film." The buzz is that Arbaaz is also slated to play a strong character who will be pitted against Salman in the film.