Actor Abhimanyu Singh has replaced Sonu Sood who was initially supposed to reprise his role of Chhedi Singh in the Telugu remake of Dabangg. Titled Gabbar Singh, the film is slated for an April release. Sonu, who also dropped out of the Dabangg sequel announced this year, had starred in the Tamil remake of the 2010-blockbuster.
Director Harish Shankar admits he had considered Sonu for Gabbar Singh but zeroed in on Abhimanyu for the role because he wanted a fresh face for Chhedi Singh. “Sonu has recently worked in the Tamil version of Dabangg. He is a good friend and he isn’t offended by my decision.”
“The director liked my work in Rakta Charitra. He showed the stills to actor Pawan Kalyan, who plays the lead in Gabbar Singh. He was impressed and offered the role to me. The money was transferred to my account even without me meeting the producer,” beams Abhimanyu, adding, “We have wrapped up two schedules of the film already.”
Gabbar Singh has been shot in Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Wai near Panchgani in Maharashtra where the market scenes of Salman Khan’s original were shot. “Director Harish Shankar has given new dimensions to the role. It’s much stronger than Sonu’s part in the original,” points out Abhimanyu.
{{/usCountry}}Gabbar Singh has been shot in Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Wai near Panchgani in Maharashtra where the market scenes of Salman Khan’s original were shot. “Director Harish Shankar has given new dimensions to the role. It’s much stronger than Sonu’s part in the original,” points out Abhimanyu.
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