While there have been reports of Deepika Padukone collaborating with Rohit Shetty for a sole cop drama in the past, it was only in the recently released Singham Again where the actress was introduced as Lady Singham. The rumours of her playing the role have been doing the rounds since the success of Simmba in 2019-2020 but it was only this year did audiences get a sneak peek of the same. And now adding to the anticipation, the filmmaker has confirmed that a film with her is indeed on the cards.Speaking of why the entire introduction of Deepika Padukone as Lady Singham was delayed, Rohit Shetty told News18, “The wait was to get the right script and the right kind of launch for the character. Till 2018, I wasn’t even sure if there’s going to be a cop universe.” The filmmaker also asserted that it was only after the Ranveer Singh starrer Simmba, that they decided to add more characters and create this universe. “When Simmba worked, people accepted that we can bring in other characters and create a universe. That’s when we made Sooryavanshi (starring Akshay Kumar) and it was during this film that we thought of making a film with an out-and-out lady cop”.Furthermore, the filmmaker also insisted that Lady Singham would have gotten a spin off much sooner had the pandemic not delayed the shoot of Sooryavanshi. However, now that the character has been introduced, Rohit Shetty has confirmed that he will kick off work with Deepika Padukone for a solo cop project. “We still have to write it. We do have a concept in mind but we don’t know where we can go with it. There’s still time for that. I know what the character will be like and her basic story arc but I don’t know her whole journey yet as a director or writer. But a female-led cop film headlined by Lady Singham will definitely happen, otherwise we wouldn’t have introduced her at all. There’s a reason why we’ve emphasised on that character and her name in Singham Again,” he added.Meanwhile, the filmmaker also addressed the rumours about Indian Police Force being a part of cop universe. Rohit clarified that the IP of the show lies with Amazon, the rights of Singham and other films solely rests with them.Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Rohit Shetty reflects on Singham Again’s success and Diwali release strategy; says, “The film is based on Diwali”