Mumbai: Actor Sonu Sood recently opened up about turning down ‘Dabangg 2’, revealing that he chose to step away despite being approached by Salman Khan.
In a conversation with Divya Jain, Sonu said he had initially turned down ‘Dabangg’ as he couldn’t connect with the character.
However, after several discussions with director Abhinav Kashyap, his perspective began to change.
Sonu shared that he then worked closely with the filmmaker to reshape the role, making it more engaging and entertaining.
“I refused Dabangg at first because I didn’t really understand the part. Then I sat down with the director and I suggested a few changes. We sat together and we changed that character a lot, we added some humour to it and that is how it became entertaining,” Sonu said.
Connecting with the audience was more important for Sonu.
“I wasn’t too bothered if he is positive or negative. I said if he brings a smile to people’s faces and entertains them, then he is great,” he added.
Emphasising that he has never approached films from a financial lens alone, the actor shared, “I have never done a film for money. Because if you say yes for the money, then you will always struggle on the set.”
Sonu went on to be part of ‘Dabangg’, but opted out of its sequel.
“For Dabangg 2, Salman and Arbaaz wanted me on board. I didn’t understand that script when I heard it the first time… I thought that I must be upfront and say what I feel,” he said.
“I told him that I do not understand this role… I knew that I won’t be able to repair it much so I excused myself and I wished them well,” he added.
Despite opting out of the sequel, Sonu maintained a strong bond with Salman.
Recalling that Salman personally invited him to attend the film’s first trial screening, he said, “I remember when they had the first trial show of the film, Salman bhai had called me. He was very generous and he said, ‘Chhedi Singh, jo tune picture chhodi, dekhna chahega?’ I said I would love to see it… and we watched it together.”
