Arbaaz Khan: Reports of Parineeti Chopra being approached for 'Dabangg 3' are not true

From making an impressive acting debut with 'Daraar' back in the 90s to becoming one of the blockbuster filmmakers with money churners like 'Dabangg' and 'Dabangg 2', Arbaaz Khan has come a long, long way! And for those who thought that the actor has put his acting aspirations on the backburner, here's some good news. The actor will next be seen in 'Tera Intezaar' opposite Sunny Leone.In an exclusive chat with Times of India, the actor-filmmaker talks about his upcoming suspense thriller, working with Sunny Leone, the third instalment in 'Dabangg' franchise and casting Sonakshi Sinha in 'Dabangg 3'.

Tell us something more about your role in 'Tera Intezaar'.
It's a suspense thriller and a murder mystery. I play a business man who is romantically involved with Sunny. The movie is about how he tackles the obstacles he faces.
Was is the character that compelled you to take up the film? Or did you take it up because of the concept?
Both. Firstly, when you get an offer for a film, you tend to keep a lot of things in mind, apart from the role and characters, what is the other cast of the film, who will be the technicians, how will it be promoted, how will it release. Only the script can't be a reason for someone to take up a film. It's a holistic view when you sign a film and I thought on the whole, with the cast and technicians it was a good enough film to do.
People are looking forward to seeing you and Sunny together because they're expecting to see something exciting. Are you scared or excited because of the expectations?
I am excited. I'm not scared. Why should I be scared? I'm almost 50 films old now. I'm looking forward to it and hoping there's some interesting chemistry between us, some magic that we can create on screen. She (Sunny) is a stunning woman and she's a very talented girl, who's doing very well; she's very hardworking and she's so warm and friendly, so it's going to be a good experience working with her.
Have you seen any of Sunny's earlier films? Do you think she's one of the best foreign imports we've had in the recent years?
It's not easy to make a statement like that. She's definitely very promising. We've had the likes of Katrina (Kaif) who have done exceedingly well. She's a little long way away from that, but she's still starting off like how other people have started. The one thing that I've learnt in life is not to predict because there are lot of things that can happen that can really shock or surprise you or people can go beyond our expectations. She definitely has the potential and how her career goes from here is not easy for me to tell. She must be having a fair idea. But she's been received well. Simple things like you know, she's the most googled people in India, goes to prove that she's very popular. People know her and want to know more of her, so she's almost half way there; she just needs a good film, a good break to put her into the top run.
'Dabangg 3' has been in the new for quite some time. When do you plan to roll the film?
'Dabangg 3' is in the pipeline. It will happen sometime post mid-next year (2017).
Reports state that Sonakshi Sinha won't be a part of 'Dabangg 3'...
That's not true. These are just rumours and it's very strange that I have to keep clarifying these rumours because god knows where they start from. Sonakshi is going to be a part of the film, in what capacity has to be seen when the script it ready. But there might also be a possibility of another heroine in the film because we are moving forward, so we might look for another option, but that all depends on what the script is. I've read some reports of Parineeti being in it and all, but that's not true. It's not like Parineeti doesn't fit the bill or she's not a good actress or anything, but the thing is that right now, we don't have a script, but if it suits her and we need to approach her, we will. But right now there is no such news that we've approached her. In fact, I've had a word with her and clarified with her.
Sohail will be playing Salman's brother in 'Tubelight', will we get to see you in the film as well?
I don't think so. I don't think there's a possibility of me doing anything in the film. It's made with them in mind.