Farhan and his partner Ritesh Sidhwani reportedly agreed after Ranveer Singh lobbied for his own casting.
Shah Rukh Khan agreed to star in Don 3 after Farhan Akhtar waited ten years for him to do so. After taking a painful inventory of the situation, the choice to hire another actor (Ranveer Singh) was made.
According to a close friend of Farhan Akhtar, “Aapko lagta hai ke Farhan kissi doosre actor ke baare mein soch bhi sakta hai (do you think Farhan can even think of another actor for Don)? But Shah Rukh wouldn’t budge over his decision not to do another film in the Don Franchise. He felt he had given whatever he had to give to Don in his two Don films.”
Farhan reportedly argued that it would be impossible for the audience to accept any other actor as Don, but SRK countered that James Bond has undergone several actor transitions, going from Sean Connery to Roger Moore to Daniel Craig, and that Bond is now ready to go on to another performer. Why then not Don?
“Khan Sahib (SRK) did not leave Farhan with much choice. Either he shelved the Franchise or cast another actor,” says the source.
Ranveer Singh entered the picture at this point.
According to reports, Singh pushed for his own casting till Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani, his co-star, agreed. Ranveer is renowned for pursuing a role he desires with tenacity. Why not, then? There are many competitors in the world. Ranveer abruptly lost Bombay Velvet, directed by Anurag Kashyap, to Ranbir Kapoor many years ago.
