When Sandeep Reddy Vanga Wanted To Cast Ranveer Singh In Kabir Singh: "If It Was Him, The Box Office Would Be Higher"

Ranveer Singh turned down Kabir Singh because it felt “too dark” to him at the time

03 Jan 2026, 04:45 · NDTV

New Delhi:

It would be unfair to not count Kabir Singh among the biggest films of Shahid Kapoor's career. Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the 2019 film featured Kiara Advani as the female lead. The Hindi remake of the 2017 Telugu hit Arjun Reddy went on to earn over Rs 275 crore at the box office, as per Sacnilk.

But here is an interesting trivia – not many know that Shahid Kapoor was not the first choice for the role. Before him, Ranveer Singh was offered the titular character. Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga revealed this himself in an old interview. He shared that Ranveer, who is currently basking in the success of Dhurandhar, turned down the film because it felt “too dark” to him at the time.

In a conversation with iDream Media, Sandeep Reddy Vanga explained that after the massive success of Arjun Reddy, there was strong interest from Bollywood to remake the film in Hindi. He also admitted that remaking such a widely watched film was far from easy.

The filmmaker said, “I was continuously getting calls from Mumbai to do the remake. First, it was pitched to Ranveer Singh. I wanted to do it with him. But finally, he decided he will not do it, because it was too dark for him at that time.”

After Ranveer Singh passed on the project, the film went to Shahid Kapoor – an actor who, back then, did not have a solid solo box-office record. The director recalled that many in the industry were sceptical about the casting choice, but he stood firm.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga said, “After Ranveer passed, Shahid was approached. But people weren't convinced. Shahid's track record was a concern; none of his solo films had done Rs 100 crore then, his highest was Rs 65 crore. They used to say Rs 55 crore, Rs 65 crore is the kind of business Telugu movies do. ‘Why are you doing it with this guy? If it was Ranveer, the box office would be higher'. But I was always sure about Shahid, he's a fantastic actor.” As history shows, the gamble paid off – Kabir Singh went on to become a career-defining hit for Shahid Kapoor.

Coming back to Ranveer Singh, his latest release Dhurandhar has emerged as the biggest box office success of his career. The film has earned over Rs 745 crore in the domestic market and has crossed the Rs 1000 crore mark worldwide, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar hit theatres on December 5 last year.

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