Is Kareena Kapoor's reluctance to work in the Ra.One sequel the real reason why Shah Rukh Khan is not considering her for the lead role in the film? The buzz doing the rounds seems to suggest as much. No sooner was it reported that Shah Rukh was planning a sequel to his superhero flick than speculation arose over its possible cast. This was followed by reports that the film's original lead, Kareena, may not be a part of the sequel.

"Each day, the buzz is growing stronger that Kareena and boyfriend Saif Ali Khan will tie the knot early next year. Although Kareena has said she will continue working in films after marriage, she will definitely cut down on assignments. If she decides to be choosy, a sequel to Ra.One will certainly not be a priority since she has already worked with SRK in the first film of the franchise," a source said.

Others, however, hint at a different reason. Whispers in the industry suggest that Kareena is not very pleased with the box-office show of Ra.One. SRK's ambitious sci-fi adventure, which is rumoured to have been made on an overall budget of Rs.150 crore, struggled to make profits despite its release on an extended Diwali weekend. Ra.One saw a 70-80 per cent occupancy in its first weekend, which was considered fairly unimpressive given the fact that the film's promotional budget - at around Rs.50 crore - was the highest in Bollywood to date.

The film was declared a "hit" by almost all the trade magazines - a far cry from the blockbuster status that people in the industry expected. Also, SRK's strategy to centre the film's promotion almost entirely around himself reportedly rubbed many in Ra.One's cast and crew the wrong way.

Officially, no statement has been released yet on the Ra.One sequel, but the SRK camp has indicated that casting details will only be finalised once the script is ready. As of now, only one thing is clear. The sequel of Ra.One, whenever it is made, will not feature Kareena.