Dabangg 3: Arbaaz Khan reveals Randeep Hooda, Irrfan Khan were considered for Chulbul Pandey's role

Salman Khan’s role as Chulbul Pandey in the cop franchise  Dabangg  has almost achieved a cult status. Directed by Abhinav Kashyap and starring Sonakshi Sinha, the success of Dabangg even spawned two other instalments. Arbaaz Khan, the producer behind the blockbuster franchise, has opened up about how the film came into being, and Salman cast in the role of Chulbul Pandey. [caption id=“attachment_4177013” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Salman Khan in Dabangg (left); Arbaaz Khan (right). Image courtesy: Facebook[/caption] Arbaaz says that Abhinav initially wanted Randeep Hooda or Irrfan Khan to take on Chulbul Pandey’s role. “When Abhinav narrated the script to me, I asked him why he wasn’t offering me the role of the Robin Hood cop. But more than Chulbul, he saw me as Makkhi, which was an extension of my role in Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na. He was looking to cast Randeep Hooda or Irrfan Khan as the lead then but neither of them had been finalised. I offered to produce the film for him and asked him what if we got Salman on board as Pandey ji. He was instantly excited and things quickly fell in place,” Arbaaz tells Mumbai Mirror in an interaction. He also reveals that 60 percent of the _Dabangg 3_ has been shot, and the team will wrap up the filming by September. Then it will go for post-production for three months. Dimple Kapadia will reportedly reprise the role of Chulbul Pandey’s mother Naini Devi in Dabangg 3, and appear in a flashback sequence. Her character was killed in the first part by the antagonist Chhedi Singh (Sonu Sood) and did not feature in the sequel. Mahesh Manjrekar’s daughter  Saiee will also make her debut in the film. She will play Chulbul’s love interest in the flashback scenes. In the third instalment of Dabangg, Sonakshi and Arbaaz are reprising their roles of Salman’s onscreen wife, Rajjo and brother, Makhanchand Pandey, while Kannada star Sudeep is the new entrant to the franchise. The action drama film, being directed by Prabhu Deva, is scheduled to be released on 20 December.