Priyanka Chopra had precious little to do with Kangana Ranaut taking centre stage as a mutant who swaps place with her. This time around, there is going to be a new leading lady for Krrish to woo. And the hunt is on for an actress.

Shraddha Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are just too young to be paired with Hrithik Roshan, so they are out of the running. As are Priyanka and Kangana (for more reasons than one) as they were part of the last installment. An insider reveals, “Director Rakesh Roshan is looking for a new pairing. It won’t be anyone who has been part of the franchise before.” That leaves the field open to Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma and Parineeti Chopra. None of the three actresses have been paired with Hrithik so far.

There was buzz that Hrithik would be paired opposite Deepika in Thug (now titled Thugs of Hindostan) that was to be produced by Yash Raj Films. However, things didn’t work out as Hrithik opted out of the movie. Will papa Roshan be able to get Deepika who has just done an action movie xXx: Return of Xander Cage with Vin Diesel, and is in ship shape?

Anushka, who played wrestler Arfa in Sultan, is also in contention. She is the only actress of her generation who has worked with all the three Khans — Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir — Hrithik is the only A-list actor, who she hasn’t worked with. In a recent interview, she said that she would love to work with Hrithik when the right script comes along.

According to reports, Pari was offered Kaabil, but the actress didn’t accept the part as it was a small role and her character dies in the film.

Rakesh Roshan says, “A superhero like Krissh, needs a super heroine, nothing less. No ordinary mortal. Someone who can fly, fight and save the world in one breath, figuratively speaking of course. And all our top rung actresses are more than super heroines. As to who it will be finally saving the world with Krissh? Wait and watch. That’s a secret for now.”