Farhan Akhtar admits facing criticism for casting SRK as Don

Filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has been facing the ire of cinephiles ever since he announced ‘Don 3’ with Ranveer Singh in the titular role. Ranveer too has been receiving a lot of flak from fans of Shah Rukh Khan, who played the role of Don in the last two films in the franchise. In a new interview, Akhtar addressed the criticism around Singh’s casting and assured that he will do ‘a great job’ while playing Don.

Excited to go ahead with the project 12 years after the release of the last film in his ‘Don’ franchise, Akhtar told ‘BBC Asian Network’ that the script and screenplay of ‘Don 3’ is ready. Speaking about the backlash around Ranveer playing Don, Akhtar remembered how even Shah Rukh was rebuked for taking up the role which was once aced by Amitabh Bachchan.

“Ranveer is amazing. He’s great for the part. He’s also, as you can imagine, really excited and really nervous, about the thing you’re filling some big shoes before you. But we went through the same emotional process when Shah Rukh did it and everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, how can you replace Amitabh Bachchan?’ That whole thing happened then.”

The filmmaker answered the audience’s apprehension about Singh acing his part: “It really is about an actor coming in and owning the part and making it really like, giving it their style and their flair. And he has that in spades. So, he is going to do a great job. I think the responsibility is more mine now to make sure that the script and the film work out the way I imagine.”

Farhan also confirmed that he will start shooting for ‘Don 3’ only in 2025 and he is still in the process of finalising the cast. Asked then why he announced the film so soon, he said he wanted the audience to know that Ranveer Singh will be the new Don.