Arbaaz Khan says he is not competing with Dabangg

Actor-producer Arbaaz Khan, who is donning the hat of a director for the sequel of Salman Khan starrer Dabangg says that he is not looking to compete with the original movie.

"When I did the first one (Dabangg) my intention was to tell or make a story that I believed in and I was excited about. This is exactly what I am going to take forward..to get excited about the story that I am going to tell and not worry what happened in the past," he says.

"If that kind of sincerity, honesty and dedication is there to this film, then everything else will be taken care of by itself. So I am not competing with the first Dabangg, I am trying to create another Dabangg," he adds. The 2010 action film, directed by debutante Abhinav Kashyap and produced by Arbaaz, became the highest grossing film of the year. The Salman-Sonakshi Sinha starrer went on to bag several awards at different award ceremonies, including the National award.

Arbaaz will not only produce the sequel but also take over as director from first-timer Abhinav Kashyap, who has opted out of the second instalment, that will see story being shifted to a larger city. Though the original lead cast of Salman and Sonakshi Sinha has been retained, actor Sonu Sood, who played the baddie in the first part, has been replaced by Prakash Raj to play the villain.

Speaking to PTI, Arbaaz Khan said, “I have not finalised the location yet. There are a couple of locations that I am looking forward to. I had thought of Bhopal, I might even look at Lucknow and Kanpur for some work there. I will finalise the location in sometime. The sequel will go on floors in March and will be release in Christmas this year."