Mumbai, Oct 30 (IANS) The curious casting tale of Mira Nair's proposed adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's novel "The Namesake" gets more curious by the day.

First Rani Mukherjee opted out, apparently because the role offered to her wasn't substantial enough, and was replaced by Konkona Sensharma.

But the crucial casting of the main protagonist from Lahiri's novel remained a mystery.

There were rumours that Rahul Bose had been approached. But Bose clarified that he had never been approached, let alone offered, the pivotal role.

That crucial bit of casting is now in place. Abhishek Bachchan has been   pencilled in to play the Bengali NRI protagonist Gogol Ganguly in the adaptation.

Nair met Abhishek for the first time in Kolkata through mutual friend Rituparno Ghosh. They then met again in Mumbai.

And Nair has found Bachchan Jr. to be the perfect choice, except for one problem. Abhishek's dates have to be adjusted.

Nair's shooting spell for "The Namesake" clashes with another major project that Abhishek has just signed.

However, with a bit of adjustment, Abhishek is sure to do Nair's film. It's an opportunity he wouldn't like to let go.

One thing is for sure. After his first major hit "Dhoom", the simultaneous release of "Phir Milenge", his most acclaimed film ever, the forthcoming "Naach" which many consider to be his best performance to date, and now the prized role in Mira Nair's movie... Abhishek Bachchan's career is certainly rocking.