While Ranveer Singh has happily signed films outside the parent Yash Raj banner, his costar from Ladies Versus Ricky Bahl, Parineeti Chopra, seems tied down by a binding contract that doesn’t allow her the same freedom.

One hears Parineeti was very keen to sign on for the Hindi remake of the Tamil blockbuster Thuppakki which she was offered by producer Vipul Shah on behalf of director A. Murugadoss. Apparently, Akshay Kumar was also interested in getting her on board for the project as he had seen and liked the new girl on the Bollywood block in Ishaqzaade. However, Yash Raj apparently wouldn’t release Parineeti to do the outside project.

Heavy trading of negotiations between the two parties finally culminated in a dead-end for Parineeti, with Aditya Chopra apparently vetoing the very idea of the girl working in an outside film at a time when she was shooting for Yash Raj’s new film with director Maneesh Sharma opposite Sushant Singh Rajput.

Says a source, “Parineeti was ready to shuttle between the two projects without letting either suffer. But she was told in no uncertain terms, that she would have to stay committed full-time to Maneesh Sharma’s film, just like the film’s leading man Sushant Singh Rajput who has not been permitted to do any other project while shooting for the Yash Raj film.”

Apparently, Akshay Kumar also intervened in the hope of some flexibility in Parineeti’s schedule. But to no avail.

It was only after it became crystal-clear that Parineeti wouldn’t be able to the Thuppakki remake that Sonakshi Sinha was sounded out, and signed. Confirming this director A Murugadoss said, “We tried really hard for Parineeti. But she was committed by contract to a project with Yash Raj Films.”

Curiously, Vipul Shah’s schedules for the Thuppakki remake don’t clash with the Maneesh Sharma film at all. So one wonders why Parineeti had to let go of such a plum project that was bound to take her career further.