When Mrunal Thakur Was Replaced By Anushka Sharma In Sultan Movie Since The Markers Thought “She Didn’t Look Like…”

Produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films, Sultan was a blockbuster movie and crossed 600 crores worldwide. However, not a lot of people know that it was not Anushka Sharma but Mrunal Thakur who was the original choice for the female lead role of Aarfa, a wrestler.

It was in Big Boss 15, Weekend ka Vaar where Mrunal Thakur and Shahid Kapoor came to promote their film, Jersey, that the host Salman Khan shared the incident.

Recollecting the memory, Bhaijaan explained the story by saying, “Did you know she (Mrunal Thakur) was the original star of Sultan?” Director Ali Abbas Zafar had brought her to his farmhouse in Panvel for a meeting regarding the role. She didn’t look like Pehelwan. However, the makers decided not to cast Mrunal for the role of Aarifa as she had lost a lot of weight. The makers were in search of an actress who would look like a wrestler, clearly, Mrunal didn’t fit the role, and thus the role then went to Anushka Sharma, as they believed that she would fit in the role of wrestler. She gave one of the best performances in her career. Both Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma shared great on-screen chemistry.