Was Arjun Kapoor The First Choice To Play Kapil Dev In 83? Kabir Khan Reveals The Truth

Ranveer Singh's upcoming film 83 has been the talk of the town ever since its announcement. Helmed by Kabir Khan, the sports drama is an ode to India's historic win at the World Cup 1983. Besides Ranveer essaying the role of former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev in this ensemble cast flick, the movie also stars Deepika Padukone in a pivotal role.

Sometime back there were reports that Arjun Kapoor was the first choice for this film. Director Kabir Khan in his recent interview with a leading tabloid, clarified these reports.

Kabir was quoted as saying, "Ye ek gut and instinct hota hai. Ever since I was asked to make the film, I had only Ranveer on my mind. Ranveer is a chameleon. See his last 4 films and you feel there's a different human being in each of them. I knew Ranveer would be the perfect choice. I told him it's not a look-alike contest, you need to imbibe Kapil's persona."

He further added, "You know, 83 is a big responsibility for me. I knew if I don't recreate this correctly, the country will not forgive me. Ditto for Ranveer: If he won't portray Kapil correctly, the audience will not forgive him. And as you see from the trailer, he has done it brilliantly. He worked very hard."

Way back in 2017, reports had floated about Arjun Kapoor was in talks with Kabir Khan for Kapil Dev's role. Later when the Panipat actor was asked about it, he told PTI, "This is not my film, it's a film made for India. It is a very important film for the country. I don't want to trivialise it by talking about the personal aspect of it. That is not necessary."

83 is slated to release in theatrical screens on December 24.