Shocking! Arjun Kapoor was the first choice to play Kapil Dev in 83, ousted over fitness issues

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone starrer '83 recently had a gala wrap up party in Mumbai. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film is an ode to the 1983 Cricket World Cup win for the Indian cricket team in England. Ranveer Singh will be seen playing the role of the Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev while real-life wife Deepika would be seen playing his onscreen wife, Romi Bhatia. Deepika has also joined hands as the producer of the film along with Sajid Nadiadwala and Madhu Mantena.

While we all saw Ranveer Singh stepping into the shoes of Kapil Dev through intense practice and fitness, very few know that Arjun Kapoor was the first choice for the film. A Deccan Chronicle report states that earlier the film was supposed to be helmed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan. Arjun Kapoor had been approached to play the lead as Kapil Dev but, when the actor failed to work on his fitness and achieve it at par with Kapil, Ranveer Singh was considered instead. The director too left the film soon after over profit dispute with the makers and producers.

It had recently come to light that Arjun Kapoor was the first choice to play the lead in Shahid Kapoor starrer Kabir Singh too. "It did not reach that stage where I could choose or not. When the rights were being acquired by Ashwin and Murad, who made Mubarakan, they acquired keeping me in mind. Sandeep Vanga, the director had met Shahid and he had seen the film before and they decided to do the film together," Arjun had said at an event in Mumbai.

"The film needed Sandeep Vanga. There is a madness to that film, there is inherent energy. It is a simple story but there was madness to the treatment. He (Sandeep) had already committed and he wanted to stick by his words and I respect that. I did not want my producers sitting around with the rights of the film and not making it out of me being in an ego tussle with anybody," he further said.