Akshay-Sidharth to Saswata-Abhishek: Actors who were replaced in film franchises

Most box office hits, call for a sequel, however, not all these sequels see the original star-cast returning to claim their prize. More often than not, fans are left fuming when some of their favourite stars don't return as their characters. With Sidharth Malhotra now set to replace Akshay Kumar in 'Rowdy Rathore' and Abhishek Bachchan bearing the brunt of social media when he replaced Saswata Chatterjee as the fan-favourite Bob Biswas, here's a list of actors who were replaced in hit film franchises.

Akshay Kumar has played several iconic characters over the years, one being, 'Rowdy Rathore'. According to the latest buzz, fans will soon get to see the sequel of the 2012 hit, but this time, sans Akshay. Rumours are rife that Sidharth Malhotra will play the no-nonsense cop in the upcoming sequel.

When Salman Khan announced the sequel of 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' in 2021, fans assumed that Kareena Kapoor Khan would also be returning to the film titled, 'Pavan Putra Bhaijaan'. However, the latest reports allege that Pooja Hegde will be reuniting with Salman after her turn in 'Kisi Ka Bhai, Kisi Ki Jaan'. It remains to be seen if there is any truth to these rumours and if Pooja will play a new character or if she will be stepping into Bebo's shoes

After decades of spin around and saving the day as 'Shaktimaan', any fan would think that Mukesh Khanna would return when the hit superhero series got its big-screen remake. Last year, reports stated that a film was indeed in the works and the makers even dropped a teaser trailer, but didn't reveal the actor. According to reports, Ranveer Singh is the front runner to don the red and golden suit, while Mukesh produces the project.

Kartik Aaryan scored one of the biggest hits of his career so far when he took over the franchise made popular by Akshay Kumar. When asked about the decision to replace Akki, the writers alleged that the role was written for a younger guy.

The internet lost its cool when Abhishek Bachchan was picked to play the lead in the film 'Bob Biswas'. The actor was picked to play the character of the killer, made famous by Saswata Chatterjee in 'Kahaani'. While Saswata didn't seem to mind sitting this one out, the Abhishek-led film earned just around Rs 20 crore at the box office.