Katrina Kaif was all set to team up with Shahid Kapoor for the first time for Shree Narayan Singh ’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu . But the latest we hear that the actress has opted out of the film for reasons more than one. According to a source, "The director had given her a script narration. She loved the story and asked her team to work out further details. She has an equally strong role as she plays his (Shahid Kapoor) friend, philosopher and guide. Kaif seemed to fit the bill. Also, this was the first time Shahid and she would be working together. It's a challenging role and the character mouths dialogues in a particular style as the film is set in Uttarakhand. Kaif would not just have to look the desi character, but also learn the diction, which would be tough given the time constraints. Hence, she thought it would be better to say no right at the outset.”

The source further adds, "She was keen on being part of the project, but there was no way she could juggle the dates. She tried to work out the schedule, but it looked tough to fit in the prep along with the shooting of the two films”.

The producer has also confirmed Katrina’s exit from the film. "We approached Katrina as she was our first choice. She loved the subject and the character. We were ready to work together, but there was a clash of dates. There were workshops she couldn't attend as she's shooting continuously for Aanand L Rai 's film and Thugs of Hindostan till March next year," he said.