John Abraham has shown his clout in bollywood. He has reportedly asked the makers of Shootout At Wadala (SAW) to drop his former flame Bipasha Basu from the film. It seems that recent interviews where Bips caustically hinted at infidelity during her nine-year relationship with John have not gone down well with the actor.

Bipasha had been signed for a cameo and an item song in SAW, where she was to play the character of Chitra, a love interest for Sabir's character (played by Manoj Bajpayee), who is Dawood Ibrahim's elder brother in the film. John plays Manya Surve, a gangster who bumps off Sabir.

Although there was to be just a fleeting interaction between John and Bips in the film, it's beeb reported from source connected to the film that John — who is currently on a better professional footing than Bipasha — has allegedly asked the makers to find a replacement for Chitra.

Are the makers paying heed to John? "Naturally yes," says the insider. "In Bollywood, a hero still gets his way.'' This bit of information had not been shared by the makers even with key members of the cast and crew, including Bajpayee, Sonu Sood and Tusshar Kapoor.

Crew members have admitted overhearing talk on the set that there was acrimony between John and Bipasha, especially after her recent round of interviews. But they denied any knowledge about the bombshell being shown the door thanks to John's displeasure.

Compiled with Extracts from Times of India