Entertainment Desk:

Bollywood filmmaker Farhan Akhtar’s Don franchise is getting a lease of life with Ranveer Singh stepping into the shoes of Shah Rukh Khan as the new titular protagonist in “Don 3”. Production banner Excel Entertainment had announced Kiara Advani as the female lead of the forthcoming film.

While the filming on “Don 3” is yet to begin, it is being widely reported that Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra may also star in the new movie.

According to an India Today report, Farhan Akhtar has approached Shah Rukh Khan for “Don 3”. “Not much is known about the part. However, Farhan Akhtar reportedly reached out to SRK, and narrated the character and the story around him. While the superstar is busy with King at the moment, given their close association, he’s agreed to do it,” the source added.

A separate report by Bollywood Hungama stated that Priyanka Chopra, who played Roma opposite Shah Rukh Khan’s Don in 2007’s “Don” and “Don 2” (2011), may also return.

According to this report, “Don 3” was delayed after Ranveer Singh was trolled online for taking on the mantle of the character played by Shah Rukh Khan. Amitabh Bachchan originally played Don in Chandra Barot’s 1978 eponymous film, with Zeenat Aman as Roma.

The Don franchise kickstarted after Excel Entertainment bought the rights to the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer 1978 film of the same name, written by veteran writer duo Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan.

“Don 3” marks a reunion between Farhan Akhtar and Ranveer Singh after they featured together in Zoya Akhtar’s “Dil Dhadakne Do” (2015).