New Delhi: Did you know that Ranveer Singh was first considered to play Kabir Singh in the Hindi adaptation of Vijay Deverakonda starrer Arjun Reddy instead of Shahid Kapoor? In an interview with iDream Media, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who directed both films, disclosed that he originally approached Ranveer Singh about the role of Kabir Singh. Shahid, however, joined the project after Ranveer turned it down.
After his film Arjun Reddy became a big sensation, Sandeep Reddy Vanga revealed that he went to Mahesh Babu for his second film. However, the director chose to adapt Arjun Reddy into Hindi as Mahesh Babu had signed on to another project. “I was getting calls all the time from Mumbai to do the remake,” he stated. “Ranveer Singh was first given a pitch for it. I was hoping to accomplish it alongside him. It was too dark for him at that moment, so in the end, he chose not to do it.” Furthermore, he mentioned that he didn’t think the remake would succeed either. So he concentrated on another Telugu movie.
In the same conversation, Sandeep Reddy Vanga said that, given the popularity of his debut film, it would have been a “big shame” for him if Kabir Singh hadn’t worked well at the box office. He said that Shahid received the role after Ranveer turned it down. The fact that none of Shahid’s solo films had made more than ₹65 crore at the time raised concerns about his track record. “They used to say that Telugu films made between 55 crore and 65 crore. Why do you want to do this with this guy? The box office would have been higher if it had been Ranveer. However, I’ve always believed that Shahid is a wonderful actor,” he remarked.
Similar to Arjun Reddy, Kabir Singh was a hit movie despite receiving conflicting ratings from reviewers. The director revealed that the movie, which starred Shahid with Kiara Advani, brought in about ₹380 crore worldwide.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga is waiting for the release of ‘Animal’, his next project, right now. Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, and Ranbir Kapoor are in it. On December 1, it will be released in theatres.
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