In a candid interview with Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, actor Sonu Sood opened up about the behind-the-scenes drama of his near-role in the blockbuster film ‘Dabangg’, starring Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha.

During the conversation, he revealed how Salman Khan, aka Chulbul Pandey, ended up ‘stealing’ his item song, ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’, which became a massive hit, thanks to Malaika Arora’s electrifying performance.

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Sood, who was once considered for the iconic role of Chulbul Pandey, shared that he had an early connection with ‘Dabangg”s director, Abhinav Kashyap. Kashyap, who had worked as an assistant to renowned filmmaker Mani Ratnam, was a close friend of Sonu’s.

“Abhinav came to me with a script for a cop story. He told me it was about a character named Chulbul, and he wanted me to play the role. I was thrilled and excited about the idea,” Sood recalled.

However, things took a turn when Arbaaz Khan, who later co-directed ‘Dabangg’ with Kashyap, told Sonu Sood that Salman Khan was interested in playing the role of Chulbul Pandey. Salman, after hearing the script, instantly connected with the name “Chulbul” and agreed to take on the role.

“Abhinav told me one day that Salman had given a green signal for the role. That’s when I realized the character was no longer mine,” Sonu explained.

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Despite being offered the antagonist’s role, Chhedi Singh, Sonu initially turned it down. He confessed that he didn’t quite understand the character at first.

“Abhinav asked if I would consider playing Chhedi Singh, and I said no. Many tried to convince me, including Arbaaz bhai, but I couldn’t see myself in that role,” Sonu said.

The filmmakers kept searching for the right actor to play Chhedi Singh, but they couldn’t find anyone who could bring the same depth to the role that Sonu had in mind.

However, Sonu wasn’t ready to give up on ‘Dabangg’ just yet. He made a few conditions, including a significant alteration to his character and a demand for an item song.

“I told Abhinav that I would only do the role if the character was rewritten to suit me better. Also, I insisted on having an item number in the film,” he said.

Sonu was particularly excited about the song, which was being choreographed by Farah Khan. “We discussed the choreography and the steps, and I was sure it would be a hit,” he added.

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But things didn’t go as planned. Abhinav later delivered both good and bad news to Sonu. The good news was about a particular scene, but the bad news was that Salman had taken over the item song.

“I was shocked. I had only one song in the film, and Salman had taken it. They said he would perform it during a raid scene, but I was upset. It felt like my song was being taken away,” Sonu admitted.

Despite the initial disappointment, Sonu acknowledged that the song became a massive success, and people still remember it fondly.

“In the end, whatever happened, happened for the best. People still talk about the song, and that’s what matters,” he concluded.