Pankaj Tripathi replaces Nawazuddin Siddiqui in ’83’

The makers of ‘83’ have confirmed Pankaj Tripathi in the role of PR Man Singh – the Indian cricket team manager, supposedly replacing Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Rumours suggest that Siddiqui stepped away from the project due to the role being too small, “It is evident that no one would want to play a part in a real-life story like ‘‘83’ where Ranveer Singh is going to be the main guy. If you notice, most other actors in the film are people who have close resemblances to the characters they are playing. Also, Man Singh’s character is not a very big one in the context of the film like how Mohinder Amarnath, Srikkanth or Sunil Gavaskar’s is. It is better that they get a good actor with a decent star appeal in that character,” a trade expert told Deccan Chronicle.

Tripathi is very excited to finally work with Kabir Khan on a project. “He is one of my favourite directors and we met a couple of times but never got an opportunity to work together. Then one day, he called me to narrate the story of ‘83’ and at certain points, it made me tear up.”, he told Mumbai Mirror in an interview, adding that preparations have already started, “I am hoping to brush up my batting skills while prepping for this film. I will also meet Man Singh ji and talk to him about his experiences. For now, I have been given some books and documents to refer to.”

‘83’ is aiming to release in April, 2020.