Do You Know Which Bollywood Superstar Was Kabir Khan's Choice To Play Salman's Brother In Tubelight?

Kabir Khan’s stories choice of Sohail, the relatively less successful of Khans, to play the screen brother of Salman Khan in his next, Tubelight came as a bit of a surprise for many. Now, it has come to light that Sohail was not the ace director’s initial choice — it was Akshay Kumar.

Salman and Akshay delivered a big hit back in the day with Mujhse Shaadi Karogi.

According to DNA, Kabir wanted an A-lister to play Salman’s brother and Akshay was one of the names he had in mind while scripting the film. “Instead of a real brother, I thought we should get another actor and create the chemistry on screen.” And while he hadn’t taken a call on who should play the role, Akshay’s name was definitely being considered.

But it was Salman who convinced him to consider Sohail for the role. “That was while we were developing the script, and before we could decide, I was convinced by Sohail. Maybe, with another actor, I would have had to spend time and create the chemistry that Salman and Sohail share,” Kabir adds.

One of the main reasons for considering Akshay for the role was box office considerations. Says Salman, “They wanted someone bigger so that we could crack the number game and earn more at the box office.” However, Salman was keen on getting Sohail onboard since their equation as brothers would translate on screen convincingly. The actor adds, “I wanted to be really comfortable, and honestly, with Sohail, I didn’t need to act too much. The emotions came automatically.”

As a producer, Salman was more concerned about the relationship between brothers than its box office prospects. “So when you see the tears in the film, sometimes, they are my own emotions as a brother.”