Salman Khan reveals why Mrunal Thakur was replaced by Anushka Sharma in Sultan; says 'She didn't look like...'

Salman Khan's Sultan was a massive box office success. Released in 2016, the film told the story of a wrestler and his struggles. While Salman Khan portrayed the role of Sultan, Anushka Sharma played the role of Aarfa, the female lead. However, did you know that not Anushka Sharma, but Hi Nanna actress Mrunal Thakur was the original choice for the film? Yes, Salman Khan himself revealed in a throwback interview not only that Mrunal was the original choice for Aarfa but also why she wasn't cast for the role.

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Salman Khan reveals why Anushka Sharma replaced Mrunal Thakur in Sultan

Salman Khan shared the above interesting anecdote about his film Sultan on the sets of Bigg Boss 15. It so happened that Mrunal Thakur and Shahid Kapoor visited the sets of Bigg Boss 15 to promote their film Jersey. Salman, known for having hilarious banters with guests, revealed an interesting anecdote. He said to Shahid, 'Did you know that Mrunal was the first choice for Sultan?' Shahid was in disbelief upon hearing this news.

Check out this video of Salman Khan below:

Salman revealed that the team was considering Mrunal for the role of Aarfa and how she even visited his Panvel farmhouse for a meeting with him and director Ali Abbas Zafar. Salman said that unfortunately, the team found Mrunal unfit for Aarfa's role and hence they had to let her go. The actor stated that since Aarfa was also shown as a wrestler in the film, they wanted an actress who looked like a wrestler, and at that time, Mrunal didn't fit the part. Mrunal said that she lost oodles of weight and hence that could be one of the reasons why the makers felt that she wasn't suited for Aarfa's part.

Well, the role later went to Anushka Sharma, and she indeed did a fabulous job as Aarfa. In fact, Anushka Sharma and Salman Khan's on screen chemistry was one of the major highlights of the film. Sultan, which was made on a budget of 90 crore, earned a whopping amount of 623.33 crore at the box office, thus becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of all time.