Nawazuddin Siddiqui Replaces Farhan Akhtar in Shah Rukh Starrer 'Raees'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui has replaced Farhan Akhtar in the upcoming film "Raees" starring Shah Rukh Khan.

Siddiqui initially declined reports that he has been offered "Raees", but the producer of the film confirmed the news saying that Siddiqui is indeed replacing Farhan.

Ritesh Sidhwani, the producer of the film, said that Farhan had to leave the film because of "Rock On 2". So the film features Shah Rukh and Siddiqui in the lead roles.

"Yes, it is Shah Rukh and Nawaz now. With the shooting pushed from December 2014 to February 2015, the dates clashed with Farhan's Rock On 2 schedule," Mumbai Mirror quoted Sidhwani as saying.

"Raees" will be Siddiqui's first film with SRK. He has preciously worked with other two Khans of Bollywood – Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. With Aamir he has worked in "Talaash", while with Salman he has worked in "Kick".

Meanwhile, the producer also cleared the air and said that the movie is not getting shelved and it will go on floors next year. The team will start shooting in February and will wrap it up by June.

"We will start constructing the set in Film City by December end. The heroine will be announced soon," he added.

Shah Rukh will play the role of a Gujarati don in "Raees", while Siddiqui will play the role of a policeman (initially offered to Farhan).

SRK will be seen sporting a completely different look in his upcoming film "Raees". The makers have apparently taken onboard a team of makeup artists from Hollywood who will work with Shah Rukh to give him a different look.

"They will try out not just different hair styles, but also experiment with eyebrows, beards and scars. The scar will be retained only if it works for the character. There will be no prosthetics, the look will be realistic. The team will be finalised soon and will arrive in a few months time to work with SRK," Mirror quoted a source close to the development as saying.