Mallika, however, didn’t entertain Ramu’s request. The director, adamant on making the sequel to his disastrous, so-called horror flick Phoonk, was hoping Mallika would up the glam quotient in order to grab those much-needed eyeballs. But Mallika, who considers herself in another league altogether, wasn’t interested in being a part of the film. The actress at the moment is spending time with the who’s who of Hollywood, promoting her upcoming horror flick Hisss, where she plays a vengeful snake-woman.

Sources close to Mallika revealed, “Mallika isnt even planning on returning to Bollywood; she is loving the high life in LA. If Hisss is a hit, it will open several doors for her internationally. She is making herself known there, and has even told friends that when Bollywood will learn to respect women, that’s when she’ll return to the industry. She was tired of the sexy bimbette image in B-town, and knows that in Hollywood, she would be accepted as she is. However, she hasn’t renounced herself entirely from Bollywood, as there's always a chance for Hisss to tank, considering that the director of the film was earlier nominated for a Razzie award. But the reason she gave Ramu was that she didn’t want to do horror films back to back and politely excused herself from the film.”

Ramu has cast newcomer Adin as the male lead and finally approached Neeru Bajwa for the role. Neeru is a former television actress and will also be seen in the Vivek Oberoi starrer Prince, It's Show time. The two are even rumoured to be dating each other, and sources say that Vivek suggested Neeru’s name to Varma. Neeru confirmed the news saying, ‘Yes, I am doing Phoonk 2. However, I cannot divulge what role I play in the film. Phoonk 2 is a thriller, and I have been strictly told not to reveal anything about the story.’ A source close to the director added, "Ramu is going to make the sequel bigger and better. He isn't interested in what critics have to say about his movie, and is probably making the sequel to give it back to them. He feels that Phoonk was a work of art with its sound techniques and direction, and he has gotten used to the brickbats in the industry."