Pakistani cricket star Shahid Afridi rejects Indian dance reality show

Indian reality show 'Nach Baliye', which is produced by Ekta Kapoor, will be back on air.

The makers of the show are lining up the competitors and judges for the seventh season.

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the makers were keen to rope in Pakistani cricket star Shahid Afridi for Nach Baliye 7 that starts airing in April.

They were close to finalising the signing amount when the star player suddenly developed cold-feet.

The reason being that it finally struck him that the show's format involves real-life couples dancing together on television.

The report quoted a source from the show saying that Shahid was ready for a solo act but when told that his wife and he would have to dance together, he was taken aback.

He categorically told the makers that he doesn't want his wife to dance on television.

The channel is now looking for a replacement and talks are on with a few other cricketers.

Previously, former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza were part of 'Nach Baliye'.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Shilpa Shetty and Sajid Khan, who judged the last three seasons of the show, have been shown the door.

It seems the producers of the dance reality show have now decided that they want to up the 'star' quotient and are looking for a bigger name to replace the actress-entrepreneur. They have already roped in filmmaker Anurag Basu as one of the judges for the show. Anurag has judged 'India's Best Dramebaaz' and 'Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj' in the past.

There have been no confirmation but it seems Priyanka Chopra's name is doing the rounds to replace Shilpa Shetty.

However, owing to her international commitments, the 'Mary Kom' actress hasn't given her consent yet.

She asked them how many days they will require and is trying to fit the show into her packed diary as it requires her to be on the set just one day in a week.

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