‘Somehow the role didn’t excite me’

Sonu Sood, who won hearts as the menacing antagonist Chhedi Singh in the 2010 blockbuster ‘Dabangg’, recently shared that Salman Khan had offered him the role of Chhedi Singh’s brother in ‘Dabangg 2’. However, Sonu turned it down.

The first instalment of ‘Dabangg’, directed by Abhinav Kashyap, hinted at a storyline where Chhedi Singh’s brother would seek revenge against Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan). Despite this setup, ‘Dabangg 2’ introduced a fresh group of villains led by Prakash Raj, supported by Nikitin Dheer and Deepak Dobriyal.

In an interview with ‘Humans of Bombay’, Sonu revealed, “Salman and Arbaaz are like my family. So, they called me again to play the role of Chhedi Singh’s brother, but I rejected the role.”

Explaining his decision, he said, “Somehow the role didn’t excite me. Salman and Arbaaz were very sweet and they told me to do it. But I told them, ‘Mujhe excitement nahi aa raha yeh role ko le kar. Toh main kaise kar paunga?’ They said, ‘It’s okay. No issues’.”

Sood also shared that Salman invited him to the premiere of ‘Dabangg 2’ and he attended the event despite not being part of the sequel. While both ‘Dabangg’ and ‘Dabangg 2’ were massive hits, the third instalment, ‘Dabangg 3’, underperformed at the box office.

Sonu is gearing up for his upcoming action film ‘Fateh’, which marks his debut as a director and producer. The film is set to be released in cinemas on January 10, 2025. Alongside Sonu, the film features a star-studded cast including Jacqueline Fernandez, Vijay Raaz and Naseeruddin Shah.