Shilpa dropped from Miss Bollywood?

Shilpa Shetty has denied that she was booted out from the second run of her West End musical, Miss Bollywood. Reportedly, the show's promoter Farhath Hussain was trying to rope in another actress after differences over her price. The actress refuses to comment on Farhath's move but says, "The musical has been a wonderful experience. I have been there, seen it and done it. I would love to do it againwhen I have the time and dates."

MS Ajmal of Harris International in Dubai and license-holders of Miss Bollywood (and co-producer along with Shilpa's beau Raj Kundra) says, "There was a slight confusion. For now, Shilpa is a part of Miss Bollywood. We haven't approached anyone directly. Shilpa is busy and has a date problem."

Reportedly, Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta are some of the actresses apparently being considered. Ajmal says, "There has been huge demand for Miss Bollywood in Malaysia and Singapore. If Shilpa's dates are booked elsewhere we will start looking for another actress but Miss Bollywood will run for long. As of now, we haven't zoomed in any particular actress. These are names being thrown around at random. My ideal choice would be Rani Mukherjee."

What about the huge fee hike that Shilpa wanted - an amount that was three times more than what was agreed upon initially? Ajmal says, "We haven't even discussed money. I don't know where that came from." Shilpa's publicist Dale Bhagwagar calls the buzz about another actress stepping into Shilpa's shoes bogus. "The license-holders of the musical are Harris International.

There are no immediate plans for a second run because Shilpa is going to be super-busy with a lot of films, endorsements and other assignments till mid-2009." About reports of Shilpa escalating her price, he counters, "Shilpa is a professional person and not the kind to trouble anyone. In the last few months, we have witnessed a metamorphosis in brand Shilpa. She has been offered huge amounts for certain film projects in Bollywood - but she is choosing only those which will give her creative satisfaction."