Sonu Sood bags the lead antagonist role in Simmba

According to reports, filmmaker Rohit Shetty has roped in talented actor Sonu Sood to play the lead antagonist in his upcoming directorial venture, Simmba. The project, to be co-produced by Karan Johar, is being headlined by Ranveer Singh and newcomer Sara Ali Khan.

Before roping in Sood, Rohit had, reportedly, approached Abhishek Bachchan for the villain role. However, Junior Bachchan turned down the offer for reasons best known to him. The director then approached R. Madhavan who readily agreed to come onboard. But he had to bow out of the film due to his shoulder injury.

"It has been a very difficult task to fill up the antagonist's role in Simmba. First Bachchan Jr turned it down and Rohit was quite surprised; Abhishek and Rohit go back to the days of Bol Bachchan. After that, just when Maddy had said 'yes' we learnt that some unexpected issues cropped up which led to Maddy's name being struck down," reveals a source.

After Abhishek Bachchan and R Madhavan, Sonu Sood was the third actor who was offered the villain part in Simmba. The actor did not waste a single minute in giving his final nod to the project and is, reportedly, extremely happy to have bagged the part.

With the final cast locked, Rohit will now begin shooting for Simmba as soon as possible. "Rohit wouldn't like to delay the film at any cost. He has finalised the release date with Karan Johar as December 27 and he will be shooting pretty fast," the source adds.