Akshaye Khanna wanted to play Sunil Dutt in Sanju before the role went to Paresh Rawal. Here’s why he was rejected

Actor Akshaye Khanna failed look tests to play the role of Sunil Dutt in Sanjay Dutt’s biopic Sanju directed by Raju Hirani.

Actor Akshaye Khanna was initially offered the role of late actor Sunil Dutt in Sanju. However, he failed the look test and hence the opportunity slipped from his hands. The actor spoke about this when he was promoting his upcoming film The Accidental Prime Minister.

Actor Akshaye Khanna will play the role of Sanjay Baru in The Accidental Prime Minister.

He said, “Raj Kumar Hirani and I had a couple of meetings. In spite of innumerable look tests, I was a misfit in that character. So I missed out on working with him in the biopic.” The role ultimately went to Paresh Rawal. Actor Ranbir Kapoor played the lead in the Sanjay Dutt biopic that turned out to be a blockbuster at the box office.

Speaking about being offered the role, Akshaye said, “I feel sad at not being able to work in Sanju after being bestowed upon with a chance to be the part of the film. He (Raju Hirani) is such an incredible and brilliant storyteller.”

He also spoke about working with late actors Sridevi, Kader Khan, and Vinod Khanna. He said, “They were all great stars as well, and working with them was a great experience. I consider myself blessed for having got a chance to work with all of them.”

Akshaye’s upcoming film, The Accidental Prime Minister, is slated to release on January 11. The actor plays the role of Sanjay Baru, who is a political commentator and policy analyst. The real-life Sanju Baru is the man who wrote the story of the film, in which Anupam Kher plays the role of former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Follow @htshowbiz for more