Abhimanyu Singh to play the villain to Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi

After Sonu Sood vs Ranveer Singh in Simmba (2018), Rohit Shetty has turned to Abhimanyu Singh to play the antagonist to Akshay Kumar in the upcoming Sooryavanshi (2020). The actor was last seen in the 2017 sleeper hit, Mom, featuring Sridevi. 

Singh made his debut in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Aks (2001) before going on to play key roles in films like Gulaal (2009), Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela (2013), and Mom (2017). The actor has also been a popular figure down south, having featured more recently in the thriller, Theeran Adhigaram Ondru (2017). 

Speaking to the daily tabloid, Ahmedabad Mirror, Singh revealed that it was the latter film which earned him a spot in Rohit Shetty's film. "He liked my performance in that film and thought that I would fit the role of the baddie in Sooryavanshi," he said. 

Describing the role as 'unpredictable and deadly', Singh said that he will play an antagonist in India working on a mission. Considering Kumar's Sooryavanshi plays an officer of the Anti Terrorist Force, it is likely that the film will revolve around a terror plot. 

The crew is currently on a 10 to 15-day shoot schedule in Mumbai, following which, they are likely to depart to Bangkok, Thailand and return to India to film in Hyderabad. 

Sooryavanshi also features Katrina Kaif and Neena Gupta in supporting roles. The film is due to be released on Eid 2020.