Sunny Deol was roped in for Jaat after this Tollywood actor declined it, reveals director
Actor Sunny Deol's Jaat, directed by Tollywood director Gopichand Malineni in his maiden Bollywood film, was initially pitched to another actor. In an interview with TeluguOne, he revealed that he initially pitched the film to Nandamuri Balakrishna, who turned it down. (Also Read: Balakrishna roped in for a crucial role in Rajinikanth-Nelson Dilipkumar's Jailer 2; everything we know)
Gopichand was asked about the stories he pitched to Balakrishna, given that they will work together again after their 2023 hit Veera Simha Reddy. When asked if it's true he pitched something else to Balakrishna initially before their 2023 hit, he hesitantly said, 'Yes, it's a different story. Actually, the first story I thought of is now Jaat,' confirming that Sunny was not the first one he pitched it to.
Gopichand then explained why he did not do the film with Balakrishna and said, 'I had two to three stories actually for Balayya babu. After Akhanda, people had high expectations of him. And, of course, he knew that. I initially pitched him an idea, and he liked it. But after Akhanda was released, he thought it would be better if we did a faction film. I am a huge fan of Samarasimha Reddy and Narasimha Naidu, so we made Veera Simha Reddy.'
However, the director seemed more than happy to pivot from Balakrishna to Sunny for the project because he expressed happiness about how the film was received in the north. He said that he visited theatres and watched people dancing to the title song that rolls during the end credits. Gopichand also claimed that the film was received well because it was a 'south-style film' with a hero from the north.
Also starring Randeep Hooda and Regena Cassandrra, Jaat tells the story of a mysterious stranger who decides to help a village reeling under oppression. According to Sacnilk, the film has collected over ₹85.65 crore net in India and ₹115.10 crore worldwide since its release on April 10.
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