What is exactly on between Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif? The grapevine is abuzz with contradictory news, but one thing is certain — Salman and Katrina are no longer together.

In the aftermath of the break-up there was a lot of buzz about how Salman was going all out to wreck Katrina’s career. Break-ups have never been easy for Sallubhai and he makes sure that all his ex-girlfriends — Somy Ali to Sangeeta Bijlani to Aishwarya Rai — bear the brunt of his wrath.

According to our sources, Salman was spreading the word about Katrina’s dubious past and the things she had been up to in London before flying into Bollywood. Remember Deepika’s comment about checking Katrina’s passport in Koffee With Karan?

Also overheard was how Salman was using his clout to re-release Kaizad Gustad’s Boom, Katrina’s first film where she was on a skin-show spree. It is said that Salman had helped Boom DVDs disappear from the market when he and Katrina were an item and she didn’t want the world to revisit the film after she had disowned it.

Not just that, for his new movie Ready, which stars Asin opposite him, Salman got Zarine Khan, the Kat lookalike, to do an item number (Character dheela, in picture far right) where all of Zarine’s moves are ditto Katrina’s moves from her chartbusters.

But now comes the news that Salman has said ‘yes’ to Kabir Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger opposite Katrina. There was a lot of speculation that he would not do a film with Katrina ever again.

The last time Sallu and Kat were seen together on screen — post breakup — was in the Wallah re wallah qawwali number from the box-office dud Tees Maar Khan in which Katrina’s favourite co-star Akshay Kumar gave them company. According to sources on the sets of the Farah Khan film, Salman and Katrina behaved like professionals, their body language giving nothing away.

Not only has Salman agreed to do the film, he recently went to Yash Raj Studios (YR Films is the producer of Ek Tha Tiger) and did a photoshoot with Katrina for the same. The picture above is from that shoot.

This will also be the first time that Salman will work for a Yash Raj movie. Says Yash Chopra: “Everyone knows my association with Salimsaab, having worked together on Deewaar, Trishul and Kaala Patthar. It is a very happy moment for me and YRF to have his son Salman with us for the first time.”

Not surprisingly, Salman didn’t mention Katrina. “In the past, Adi (Aditya Chopra) and I have met a few times on various projects but somehow, when Kabir and he came to me with this particular story, we all just knew that this was the one. I’m honoured to be working with Yashji, who has worked so closely with my Dad.”

Ek Tha Tiger is a romantic thriller and the Salman-Katrina pair is a real casting coup for Yash Raj. Yes they did Yuvvraaj when they were together but the box office rocks when the lead is no longer a pair in real life. Remember Jab We Met?

Shooting for the film starts in early July. It is slated for a mid-2012 release.