Indian director and actor Farhan Akhtar has talked to Variety about the reason why the iconic action franchise ‘Don’ has rebooted with Ranveer Singh and not Shah Rukh Khan, who played the role in 2006 and 2011.
The announcement that Ranveer Singh will play the iconic villain was made in August, leaving audiences divided.
Now, Akhtar has revealed that he and King Khan had parted mutually after they couldn’t find any common ground on how the story is supposed to go forward.
“I’m not in the position of replacing anybody. These are things that we discussed over the years, I wanted to take a certain direction with the story, somehow we just couldn’t find common ground. We just parted mutually knowing that it’s probably for the best. So that’s where it is.”
The son of lyricist Javed Akhtar went on to express his excitement about Ranveer playing Don, and said the actor was charged up for the project.
“I’m really excited Ranveer’s on board. He’s so charged and so ready to go. It’s a big film, just purely from the point of view of an actor, it’s a big thing to do, and we’re really excited to have him on board. His energy is energizing us, so to speak.”
In a lengthy post on his Instagram account, Ranveer gushed about this being a childhood dream that he was selected to perform the role of the iconic villain, previously played by Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.
“As a child I fell in love with the movies, and like the rest of us,” gushed the ‘Rocky and Rani ki prem kahani actor. “Watching and worshipping Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan – the two G.O.A.Ts of Hindi Cinema. I dreamed of growing up to be like them. They are the very reason I wanted to become an actor and a ‘hindi film hero’. Their impact and influence on my life cannot be overstated. They’ve shaped the person and actor that I am. Taking their legacy forward is a manifestation of my childhood dream.”
