After the news of actor R Madhavan dropping out of director Rohit Shetty's Simmba, there have been a few names thrown around to play the villain. However, reports now suggest that the director has opted for Sonu Sood to play the main antagonist in the film. The actor is in pole position for the film, produced by Karan Johar, scheduled to be released on 28 December.
The news comes a day after Madhavan tweeted that his shoulder injury has left him unable to be a part of the Ranveer Singh-starrer. Simmba will also feature Sara Ali Khan.
"It breaks both our hearts that I’m not able to be a part of this film because of my injury. I’m well on my way to recovery but this is a huge opportunity and excitement lost," he tweeted.
A DNA news report stated that the actor has been replaced by Sood. Known for his brawny physique, Sood is expected to fit in with Shetty's commercial entertainer. The report quoted a source as saying, "Ranveer and Sonu have great physiques. They will match each other really well on the big screen. This will be a face-off to watch out for."
Currently, Sood is juggling multiple projects with actress Kangana Ranaut's biopic on the Queen of Jhansi, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi leading the way. The actor is also part of JP Dutta's Paltan, and set to make his debut in a Kannada film based on the epic, Mahabharata. The actor will play Arjuna in the film.