From Saif Ali Khan in Race 3 to Akshay Kumar in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2: Actors who were replaced in sequels of their hits
Race 3 producer Ramesh Taurani has revealed that Saif Ali Khan was unhappy about being replaced by Salman Khan. Meet other stars who were replaced in sequels
It was a huge shocker when Saif Ali Khan was replaced by Salman Khan in Race 3 (2018) because the former was the lead star in the first two films of the franchise, with Race 2 (2013) being his highest-grosser at that time. Producer Ramesh S. Taurani has now confirmed that Saif was upset about this development. The filmmaker called Saif’s replacement a business decision as the actor’s next few releases didn’t do that well at the box office.
Just like Saif, many other stars were replaced in the sequel of their hit films. Take a look:
Akshay Kumar
One major reason behind the success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), apart from the iconic script, was Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan’s memorable performances. But in the standalone sequel Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022), Akshay was replaced by Kartik Aaryan. Talking about the same, writer Aakash Kaushik had claimed that the story demanded a younger actor. Akshay was also replaced in Welcome Back (2015), the sequel of Welcome (2007) by John Abraham. However, Akshay will be back in Welcome to the Jungle, the third instalment in the series
Abhishek Bachchan
Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan were a riot as a con artist couple in Bunty Aur Babli (2005). Their performances as Bunty and Babli, who hailed from different small towns and dreamed of making it big, were loved by all. While Rani reprised her role in the sequel Bunty Aur Babli 2 (2021), Abhishek was replaced by Saif Ali Khan. According to viral reports, Abhishek refused to work with producer Aditya Chopra again after their alleged row on the sets of Dhoom 3 (2013)
Nushrratt Bharuccha
In 2019, Ayushmann Khurrana’s female voice impersonation and fresh chemistry with Nushrratt Bharuccha in Dream Girl (2019) won several hearts. So it was obviously shocking when makers replaced Nushrratt with Ananya Panday in the spiritual sequel Dream Girl 2 (2023). In an interview, Nushrratt had confessed that she was hurt, disappointed and felt it was unfair to replace her. Meanwhile, Ayushmann believed Ananya fit the bill for the sequel
Sharman Joshi
Actor Sharman Joshi won hearts as Laxman Prasad Sharma in Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), the first film in Rohit Shetty’s popular comedy series. In the sequel titled Golmaal Returns (2008) Ajay Devgn reprised his role along with Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor. But Sharman was replaced by Shreyas Talpade as the new Laxman due to his date issues. Well, in an interview last year, Sharman shared that he hopes to be cast in the upcoming fifth instalment of the series titled Golmaal 5
Arshad Warsi
The versatile Arshad Warsi was phenomenal in the 2013 courtroom drama Jolly LLB, where he portrayed the role of Advocate Jagdish Tyagi aka Jolly. However, in the sequel titled Jolly LLB 2 (2017), Arshad was replaced by Akshay Kumar. Some fans were heartbroken but the film ultimately emerged as a big hit. Much to the delight of Jolly lovers, Jolly LLB 3 the third instalment in the series will star Akshay and Arshad together. This is one collaboration that will surely satiate movie-buffs
In your opinion, which actor from this list should not have been replaced in the sequel of their film?