Not Salman Khan, but these actors were the first choice to play Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg

Salman Khan as Chulbul Pandey has impressed us a lot in Dabangg and Dabangg 2. It is clearly one of his most loved characters. But it has come as a surprise to us that Salman was not the first choice to play the character. Yes, you read it right!

Arbaaz Khan recently, while talking to a tabloid revealed that Abhinav Kashyap, the director of Dabangg, wanted Randeep Hooda or Irrfan Khan to play Chulbul Pandey. Arbaaz said, “When Abhinav narrated the script to me, I asked him why he wasn’t offering me the role of the Robin Hood cop. But more than Chulbul, he saw me as Makkhi, which was an extension of my role in Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. He was looking to cast Randeep Hooda or Irrfan Khan as the lead then but neither of them had been finalised. I offered to produce the film for him and asked him what if we got Salman on board as Pandey ji. He was instantly excited and things quickly fell in place."

“The character fits him like a glove. Even Makkhi has evolved and is integral to the narrative, with different shades in the prequel and the present,” the actor added.

A few days ago, there were reports that Mahesh Manjrekar’s younger daughter Saiee will be seen opposite Salman in Dabangg 3 and Arbaaz has confirmed the reports. He said, “Salman has known Saiee for a while. He was sure she fits the bill perfectly as an innocent young girl and after seeing her perform, we know she’s exactly what we wanted for Dabangg 3."

Directed by Prabhudheva, Dabangg 3 also stars Sonakshi Sinha in the lead role. The movie is slated to hit the screens on 20th December 2019. We are sure fans of Salman and Sonakshi are super excited to see them as Chulbul Pandey and Rajjo on the big screen.

Apart from Dabangg 3, Salman Khan has Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Inshallah in which he will be seen romancing Alia Bhatt. Meanwhile, Sonakshi is gearing up for the release of Khandaani Shafakhana. The movie is slated to release on 2nd August 2019.