Anil Kapoor on playing Ranbir Kapoor’s father in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ |

Ranbir Kapoor is riding high on the success of his action film ‘Animal’ that broke box office records to become one of the highest-earning films of 2023. As the film premiered on OTT this past weekend, the leading man sat down with his co-star and on-screen dad, Anil Kapoor for a candid chat, where they spilled the beans on their first venture and also opened up about almost starring in a Bollywood film together back in the day.
During the discussion, Anil revealed that he would have played RK’s father much earlier, had the actor not backed out of the film ‘Dil Dhadakne Do‘. Reminiscing his conversation with the veteran star, Ranbir said, “At that time, he told me, “I never play a father’s role, but I will play your father’s role in a film.”

Anil went on to add, “When I said yes, you were doing the film.”

Confirming that he was indeed initially a part of the movie, RK even went on to reveal that the actor confided in him and was hesitant about sticking on. He recalled, “He used to say, ‘Should I do it, not do it?’ He was always in a dilemma.”
After Ranbir seemingly bowed out of the film due to ‘schedule conflicts’, the role went on to Ranveer Singh. The family entertainer directed by Zoya Akhtar also starred Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Shefali Shah.

Reports stated that Zoya had a different cast in mind. While RK was approached to play the role of the son, the other actors who were also among the first choice included Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Katrina Kaif. Rumours were rife that the actors were almost finalised for the film, but eventually bowed out, making way for the other stars to take over.