Sonu Sood first major negative role in Hindi cinema came in the 2010 Salman Khan hit ‘Dabangg’, though in a recent interview, he revealed he’d initially turned it down. He mentioned getting an offer for ‘Dabangg 2’ too, but this time he stuck to his decision, unhappy with the script unlike the original. The actor mentioned getting an offer for ‘Dabangg 2’ too from Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, but this time Sonu stuck to his decision, unhappy with the script unlike the original, politely excusing himself while wishing the team well and even attending the trial show at Salman’s gracious invitation.
Sonu Sood opens up on ‘Dabangg’ rapport with Salman Khan
During an interview on Divya Jain’s YouTube channel, Sonu opened up about his strong rapport with Salman Khan on the set of ‘Dabangg’. He explained that he first turned down the project due to discomfort with the role, but convinced director Abhinav Kashyap to revise it after some discussions. “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,” he said.
Sonu Sood on villain role and avoiding money-driven films
Sonu addressed doubt about taking on a villainous part by saying, “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. So we wrote it like that.” Shifting to past regrets over movie picks or decisions to sign or skip films, the actor clarified he avoids projects driven by cash alone, noting, “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 Sood recalls rejecting ‘Dabangg 2’ offer from Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan
He recalled politely rejecting Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan’s pitch to return for ‘Dabangg 2’ (2012), as the script didn’t click with him. “For Dabangg 2, Salman and Arbaaz wanted me on board. I didn’t understand that script when I heard it the first time. I was hesitating a bit to say no at first. Then I thought that I must be upfront and say what I feel. I spoke to Arbaaz bhai,” he said.“I told him that I do not understand this role. He said it’s good, we will do it, like we did in the first one. But I knew that I won’t be able to repair it much so I excused myself and I wished them well and said that when you make it, I will be the first one to see it,” he recalled.
Sonu Sood attends ‘Dabangg 2’ trial show with Salman Khan
Even after Sonu passed on ‘Dabangg 2’, Salman Khan graciously called him for its premiere trial. “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? (Chhedi Singh, will you watch the film that you left?)’ I said I would love to see it. He said come on then and we watched it together,” Sonu recounted.
Sonu Sood replaced by Prakash Raj in ‘Dabangg 2’
In ‘Dabangg 2’, Prakash Raj stepped into the shoes of the main antagonist.
