Mumbai, Sep 29 (Mid-day): Apparently, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt have been roped in for Aanand L Rai's upcoming film starring Shah Rukh Khan

If all goes well Aanand L Rai's upcoming film featuring Shah Rukh Khan will get its leading ladies soon. Industry sources suggest that Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt are likely to star in the project. Says a source, "A lot of names were being considered for the two roles and we were keen on casting well-known names of the industry. Deepika and Alia are strong contenders for the parts and if things fall into place, they will come on board."

Those in the know say that Deepika has shown interest in the film and her dates are available as well, while Alia is working on hers.

Another source says, "Post 'Tamasha' and 'Bajirao Mastani', Deepika has not signed any new project at the moment, so there is a possibility that she takes up the film. Alia, on the other hand, will begin shooting for Gauri Shinde's next with Shah Rukh in November. However, Rai's film will only begin once SRK finishes shooting for Gauri's film so it shouldn't be a problem for Alia either. The official announcement of the star cast will be made soon."

The film is co produced by SRK and Eros and was earlier offered to Salman Khan.

Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt's spokesperson denied the buzz, while Aanand L Rai remained unavailable for comment.