Everybody loves a good sequel, especially when the previous part of a movie series includes hints on what the next movie would be like.
In movies, people often change the villain in sequels but it so happens that at times the main character or the lead role is replaced. It could be an improvement, which rarely happens, or it could be a complete disaster.
A Lot of people seem to be ok with cases where the actor is changed if sequels hold no relevance to the storyline, but it would be contradicting if the replaced actor was the main reason the audience craved for a sequel.
Let’s take a look 7 times Bollywood replaced the actor in sequels and regretted it:
1. In Kahani’s spin-off, Bob Biswas, Abhishek Bachchan took over for Saswata Chatterjee:
The screenplay completely deprived Abhishek Bachchan of projecting a spooky ethos, despite the actor being aware that he had to bring to the table. Fans were utterly confused as to why they decided to replace Saswata as his performance as the assassin was the entire reason for the spin-off.
2. John Abraham replaced Akshay Kumar in Welcome Back:
Although the reasons for Akshay not being a part of Welcome: Welcome back are unclear, reports suggest that the actor was delighted for John taking up the movie. The fans on the contrary were not as supportive and “Welcoming”, making statements that suggested Akshay could not be replaced.
3. Parineeti Chopra replaced Kareena Kapoor in Golmaal 4:
The producers decided to go with Parineeti Chopra in the 3rd Golmaal movie as Kareena Kapoor could not be a part of the project due to her pregnancy. Although the movie was a success, it did not do better than its predecessors and a lot of the fans agreed that Parineeti had nothing to do with it, as they loved her performance and said it felt like she’d been with them since the first movie.
4. In Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive, Manish Paul replaced Ali Zafar: According to Manish Paul, it was a burden for the actor to star in the sequel as he believed it was his responsibility to level up to the first movie, which was a sleeper hit. Fans were more disappointed with the spin-off than the replacement of the actor as they suggested that it lacked the essence of the original movie.
5. Akshay Kumar replaced Emraan Hashmi in Once Upon A Time In Mumbai 2:Dobara.
Reports suggest that Hashmi himself, who was critically acclaimed for his performance in the first part, allegedly rejected the movie after reading the script. Akshay on the other hand was made fun of for portraying a caricature of the character.
6. Akshay Kumar replaced Arshad Warsi in In Jolly LLB 2 :
The fans were utterly disappointed with this replacement and took a swing at the script and Akshay’s performance in the movie.
The fans argued that Arshad was perfect for the character as he was engaging, sympathetic and that the first movie had a realistic aspect to it that made it an unexpected hit.
7. In Murder 3, Randeep Hooda replaced Emraan Hashmi:
Murder 3 was not as appealing to the audience as it lacked a certain essence of the first two parts: Hashmi. Although fans adored Randeep’s effort, they suggested that it was only so much the actor could do.