Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh has been cast as the lead in Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Don’ franchise’s third installment.
Ranveer Singh is the new Don: According to an exclusive story from an Indian tabloid, after much deliberation and after Shahrukh Khan withdrew from the franchise, the action thriller’s producers have ultimately chosen Singh to play the title role in “Don 3.”
Not only that, but the production team apparently shot an announcement video to unveil the new franchise star, which was scheduled to debut today, July 6, on the actor from “Padmaavat’s” 38th birthday. But there was no indication of it.
A source connected to the project confirmed the delay in the announcement to the media, saying that although producers were ready to release the opening footage, the plan was thwarted by production-house technical difficulties.
That was the strategy. The insider stated, “Ranveer [Singh] strategically released the Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani trailer two days before his birthday, keeping the day open for the announcement of Don 3.” He also added that the video was shown to several business insiders, who adored the idea and Singh’s portrayal of Don.
However, the insider said, “Team Excel [the production company run by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani] encountered an unexpected issue while planning the launch plans for July 6.”
Now, it’s predicted that Singh’s much anticipated family drama “Rocky Aur Rani kii Prem Kahaani” would hit theatres on July 28.
The ‘Don’ series
The rights to adapt the Amitabh Bachchan-starring 1978 film “Don” have been purchased by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment label.
The first film in the series, “Don: The Chase Begins Again,” which starred Shahrukh Khan in the title role, was released in 2006; the subsequent movie, “Don: The King is Back,” was released in 2011.
Akhtar directed both films, and their production company provided the funding for the successful productions.