Suneel Darshan wanted to make Jaanwar with Sunny Deol, but replaced him with Akshay Kumar after an ‘ugly' fallout: ‘Those issues are still pending'

Indian Express

a day ago

From 1997 to 1999, Akshay Kumar experienced more failures than successes.. The spell broke when he starred in the film Jaanwar, where he played the role of Baadshah aka Babu Lohar. The movie became a commercial success, with many praising Akshay's performance. However, did you know Akshay was not the original choice for the film?
According to filmmaker Suneel Darshan, the movie was originally written for Sunny Deol. Speaking to India Today, Suneel shared, 'The film was originally planned with Sunny Deol. We were nearly set to go ahead when we had a fallout over some very ugly issues. Those issues are still pending. So I decided to move forward and find someone else.'
In the search for a leading hero, Suneel next approached Ajay Devgn. 'Ajay and I met on a Saturday and agreed on the film. We were supposed to finalise everything that Monday, but Sunday changed everything,' said the filmmaker.
On Sunday, Suneel received a call from Akshay Kumar, whom he had never met. The filmmaker said, 'He was very keen to meet immediately. I invited him over, and he said he wanted to do Jaanwar. He asked me, 'Would you consider making the film with me?''
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He added, 'Akshay was going through the worst phase of his career at the time. But I thought, 'Here's a good-looking, disciplined actor willing to give 100% of himself. He even told me, 'Sir, I will offer you 100% of myself.' That stayed with me.'
Looking at Akshay Kumar's dedication towards this project he was never part of, Suneel Darshan decided to take the risk.
Suneel shared, 'I knew I couldn't make money on his name then, but I believed in my ability to bring out his potential. I felt we'd strike a good rapport–and that would reflect on screen.'
Suneel Darshan said, just like the male lead, the female lead was also finalised after several changes. After a fallout with Sunny Deol, Suneel decided to make the film with Ajay Devgn and Kajol in the lead roles. However, due to their decision to get married, the filmmaker cast Shilpa Shetty and Karisma Kapoor in the lead roles.
'Kajol was initially meant to be there too, In fact, both she and Ajay were supposed to be part of the film. But as destiny would have it, Ajay and Kajol decided to get married around that time. Tanuja ji called and informed me that it would be difficult for Kajol to do the film. I appreciated her honesty and professionalism. That led to Shilpa Shetty joining the cast, and the rest, as they say, is history.'