Do you know that Katrina Kaif initially wanted to do Salman Khan’s film Veer? Director Anil Sharma reveals why Zarine Khan was replaced by him

Zarine Khan, who made her acting debut opposite Salman Khan in the 2010 film Veer, has claimed that her constant comparisons with Katrina Kaif have not worked in her favour. In a recent interview, director Anil Sharma addressed the comparison and admitted that Zareen looks like Katrina. He also revealed that Katrina Kaif initially wanted to be the part of Veer, but the makers were looking for a fresh face. It was Salman Khan who discovered Zarine and asked Sharma to cast her in the film.

In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Veer director Anil Sharma addressed the perception that Zarine Khan resembled Katrina Kaif and whether her casting in the film was deliberate. He clarified that this was not the case, adding that Salman Khan was working on a film with Katrina, which was Veer, and he asked Sharma to meet Zareen.

While Katrina initially wanted to be a part of the film, the producers decided that they needed a new face. Khan discovered Zareen, who came from a humble background, and that’s how she was cast in the film.

He continued by saying that Khan had sent Zareen to him and he worked as hard as he could with her. The Gadar 2 director admitted that she resembles Katrina Kaif.

In an old interview of Navbharat Times, Zarine was asked about the constant comparison with the Merry Christmas actress. He shared that when people enter the industry, their goal is to create their own identity and not be seen as a lookalike or shadow of someone else.

Zareen said that despite struggling for many years to establish herself in Bollywood, she is still often called Katrina’s lookalike. He further added that no filmmaker is interested in working with lookalikes or duplicates.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Salman will next be seen in Sajid Nadiadwala and AR Murugadoss’s Sikander. Pinkvilla was first to report that the makers are planning to release the teaser on the superstar’s birthday, December 27, 2024. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Prateik Babbar, Satyaraj and Sharman Joshi.