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Not Shahid Kapoor, but Dhurandhar star Ranveer Singh was the first choice for Kabir Singh; netizens say ‘thank god…’

Sandeep Reddy Vanga's old interview calling Ranveer Singh the first choice for Kabir Singh resurfaces amid Dhurandhar craze

Published on: Jan 2, 2026, 16:24:20 IST
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Two years after winning hearts with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023), Ranveer Singh made a mind-blowing comeback to the silver screen with Dhurandhar. He dropped jaws with his unbelievable transformation, leaving a lasting impact through his never-seen-before avatar as an undercover agent. Well, with the craze of Dhurandhar rising each day, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s old interview calling Ranveer the first choice for Kabir Singh (2019) has resurfaced online, garnering shocking reactions from netizens. In this interview, the director revealed that after Ranveer rejected the film for being ‘too dark’, Kabir Singh went to Shahid Kapoor.

Shahid Kapoor aka Kabir Singh and Dhurandhar's Ranveer Singh
Shahid Kapoor aka Kabir Singh and Dhurandhar's Ranveer Singh

A few years ago in an interview with iDream Media, Sandeep Reddy Vanga opened up about his Bollywood directorial debut film Kabir Singh, which was a remake of his Telugu film Arjun Reddy (2017). The filmmaker shared, “I was continuously getting calls from Mumbai to do the remake. First, it was pitched to Ranveer Singh. I wanted to do it with him. But finally, he decided he will not do it, because it was too dark for him at that time.” Talking about Shahid Kapoor, who ended up headlining the film opposite Kiara Advani, Sandeep shared, “Shahid’s track record was a concern; none of his solo films had done 100 crore then, his highest was 65 crore. They used to say 55 crore, 65 crore is the kind of business Telugu movies do. ‘Why are you doing it with this guy? If it was Ranveer, the box office would be higher’. But I was always sure about Shahid, he’s a fantastic actor.”

Well, Sandeep loved Dhurandhar. In his review of the film, the filmmaker lauded Ranveer for disappearing into his character effortlessly. Meanwhile, Ranveer thoroughly enjoyed watching Sandeep’s film Animal (2023) starring Ranbir Kapoor. So a future collaboration between the actor and director does not seem impossible. What do you think?

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mahima Pandey

Mahima Pandey is a journalist at HT City, who believes that being a bridge between the entertainment industry and the public is an honour. She enjoys Bollywood updates, films, fashion trends and gossip from the industry as much as any other movie buff, which helps her write things worth your time.

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