Initially approached Arnold Schwarzenegger as anti-hero for '2.0': Director Shankar
Mumbai, Nov 24: Filmmaker S Shankar said Saturday he had approached "The Terminator" star Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the antagonist in "2.0" but things didn't work out and the role finally went to Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar.
Rajinikanth will be back in the role of 'Chitti' in the second installment of the mega-hit "Robot", which is slated to be released on November 29.
"We had thought of casting Arnold. We had talked and allotted dates also. But somehow things did not work out as the contracts of Hollywood and India are contradictory. So we thought of looking at a good cast from the Indian film industry," Shankar said at a press conference here.
The director said Lyca (producers of 2.0) and Akshay were in talks for a remake of a film called 'Kathi' in Hindi.
"Everyone told me to consider Akshay and I also thought it would be nice. I narrated the story to him and he said yes," the director said.
Shankar is confident that the film would connect with everyone as it has an international theme. The technology, he said, was better than the previous film and it was the reason they decided to title the film "2.0".
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Sport must go on: Sourav Ganguly on India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash
Kolkata, Jul 27 (PTI): Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said he has no issues with India being placed in the same group as Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup, asserting that while terrorism must end, sport must continue.
As per the schedule, arch-rivals India and Pakistan are clubbed in Group A and are set to face off at the Dubai International Stadium on September 14.
"I'm okay with the schedule. Sport must continue. What happened in Pahalgam should never happen, but we can’t let that stop the game. Terrorism must end. India has taken a firm stand against it, it’s in the past now. Sport must go on," Ganguly told PTI.
The T20 tournament will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28.
India will begin their campaign against UAE on September 10 and are expected to play all their matches in Dubai. India and Pakistan could also meet again in the Super Four stage on September 21.
Group A comprises India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman, while Group B includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will allow 17-member squads for the 19-match tournament, with matches scheduled in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
While the BCCI is the official host, the tournament is being held in the UAE as India and Pakistan have agreed to play only at neutral venues till 2027 due to ongoing cross-border tensions.
The two countries had come close to the brink of war following the Pahalgam attack, to which India responded with Operation Sindoor.
