Actress Deepika Padukone has been paired opposite Shahid Kapoor for the first time in Prabhu Deva’s upcoming movie ‘Namak’.

The choreographer turned director, who recently has delivered a blockbuster hit with ‘Rowdy Rathore’, has been looking for a heroine for his movie for quite sometime now.

Deepika Padukone apparently was never in the equation but after the director saw the promos of her recent release ‘Cocktail’, he decided to approach the actress as he thought she suited the role perfectly.

“The Prabhu-Shahid deal has been the talk of the town for the past few months but they were unable to finalize an actress. Deepika’s name was suggested after the makers saw the promos of Cocktail. The freshness will be the USP of this pairing and is expected to add a lot of zing to the story,” said a source to a daily.

But actress Deepika Padukone is tight lipped about the project as she is yet to sign on the dotted line.

The shooting of the movie will begin soon as both Shahid Kapoor and Prabhu Deva want to start shooting as soon as possible.

“Since Shahid has the required dates and Prabhu’s also itching to start shooting, the film should go on the floors soon,” the source concluded.