Replaced by Akshay in Jolly LLB 2, Arshad Warsi gets his revenge via Aankhen 2

Fans were left shocked when it came to light that Akshay Kumar would replace Arshad Warsi in Jolly LLB 2. Courtroom drama Jolly LLB (2013), starring Warsi and Boman Irani, won critical acclaim and was a moderate success at the box-office.

Director Subhash Kapoor was keen on a sequel, but he couldn't retain Warsi for the second film after the producers (Fox Star Studios) preferred to have a bigger star. It was then that Kapoor signed Kumar for Jolly LLB 2. 

Warsi's loss was Kumar's gain and the vice versa turned out to be true as Warsi was brought on board for Aankhen 2, while Kumar wasn't retained. In Aankhen (2002), Kumar had played Vishwas Prajapati, one of the three blind men recruited by Vijay Singh Rajput (Amitabh Bachchan) to pull off a bank heist.

So, are Warsi and Kumar even now? 

"We (Akshay and I) have discussed these things since childhood,” Warsi said jokingly at the launch press conference of Aankhen 2. “Look, these things are part parcel of the industry,” Warsi reasoned.

A month earlier, Warsi had told IANS (Indo Asian News Service) that producers Fox Star Studios wanted a bigger star.

"I was supposed to do Jolly LLB 2, but Fox Star Studios needed a bigger star, so they chose Akshay. It makes it easier for marketing and to have a hit. With me, you (the filmmakers) have to make a good film, so that is the problem. You can make money with me only if it's a very good film,” Warsi told IANS in July. 

When Bachchan was asked about Kumar’s absence from Aankhen 2, he had merely shrugged off the question saying that Kumar was busy making Crack.