Was Arjun Kapoor, not Ranveer Singh, the first choice to play Kapil Dev in '83'? Director Kabir Khan addresses rumours

Kabir said Ranveer was aware of the fact that he would not be 'forgiven' if he failed to do justice to the part

Sections of the media had recently reported that actor Arjun Kapoor was director Kabir Khan's first choice to play legendary cricketer Kapil Dev in the upcoming sports drama 83. The New York helmer has, now, dismissed the rumours. Speaking to the Times of India, he said that Ranveer Singh was always the first choice to portray the 'Haryana Hurricane' on the big screen as he is a true 'chameleon' who knows how to get into the skin of a character. He added that the Befikre star was aware of the fact that he would not be 'forgiven' if he failed to do justice to the legend's life story.

83, produced by Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Films, revolves around India's win in the 1983 cricket World Cup and is touted to be an 'underdog saga'. It has garnered a fair deal of attention with its riveting trailer and patriotic undertones. It stars Deepika Padukone as the leading lady.

She plays the role of Paaji's wife Romy Bhatia, who was a pillar of support for him during his career. The cast includes Saqib Saleem, Jiiva, Ammy Virk and Tahir Raj Bhasin. Pankaj Tripathi, who rose to fame with his work in the Gangs of Wasseypur saga, plays noted manager P R Man Singh in what is the biggest film of his career. He recently told DH that his character speaks 'flavour wali Hindi' in the movie.

83 was supposed to hit the screens last year but got postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The biggie is slated to premiere in theatres on December 24.

This will be Kabir's first theatrical release after Tubelight. The Salman Khan-starrer hit the screens in 2017 and failed to live up to expectations. The movie was based on the American war drama Little Boy and catered to a class audience. It remains to be seen whether the flick helps him regain his mojo.