Ayushmann Khurrana to replace Sidharth Malhotra in a comedy film?

Reportedly, Sidharth Malhotra lost out on a big-banner comedy film to Ayushmann Khurrana, reason being his films average performances at the Box Office

Sidharth Malhotra's latest outing, 'Ittefaq' banked by major production houses of Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan is performing averagely at the Box office. Though the film, also starring Sonakshi Sinha and Akshaye Khanna have been critically praised, it is Akshaye Khanna who is sweeping away with the accolades. With a good acting potential to his credit, Sidharth's position as a bankable star has started to weaken, unlike his peers. Rumour has it that Sidharth Malhotra has lost out on a quirky comedy film by a renowned production house and Ayushmann Khurrana has been roped in. The production house, bankrolling this comedy, has already delivered a sleeper hit with Ayushmann. With hits like 'Bareilly ki Barfi' and 'Shubh Mangal Savdhan' to his credit and his spectacular performances in films like 'Vicky Donor' amongst others, the star's demand amongst the producers has increased.

Sidharth Malhotra

Confirming about the same, a source told Deccan Chronicle, "Sidharth Malhotra's disastrous run at the box office with Baar Baar Dekho and A Gentleman had put the makers of the film in doubt of his capability to attract audiences. The underwhelming opening and weekend run of Ittefaq was the final nail in the coffin and the team decided to replace Sidharth with Ayushmann Khurrana."

"Over time Ayushmann has acquired an audience base in the genre of comedy and is currently considered a more bankable star than Sidharth by film producers," added the source.

However, in his latest interview to mid-day, Sidharth spoke about Akshaye Khanna having a meatier role than him in 'Ittefaq'. He said, "The length of a role is the least of my concerns when I green-light a script. In Ittefaq, the story is told by Akshaye Khanna, who has a sizeable part in the movie. Since I don't belong to a film family, I never get into the insecure zone. Personally, I am not the one to eat into someone's work or role. It's always better to work with better actors. I am upping my game."

The actor is proud of his career choices. "For me, stories matter the most. In films like Brothers and Aiyaary, I was clear that I wanted those parts to make my resume stronger," says Malhotra. He adds that he wants to experiment with different genres. "This is the time to test the waters. I am reacting to stories rather than if I am going to get to hog the limelight."

Also read: Sidharth Malhotra Reacts To Akshaye Khanna Having Meatier Role In 'Ittefaq'

On the professional front, Sidharth Malhotra is occupied with Neeraj Pandey's 'Aiyaary' alongside Manoj Bajpayee and South sensation Rakul Preet. Ayushmann, on the other hand, is shooting for Sriram Raghvan's 'Shoot the Piano Player', co-starring Tabu and Radhika Apte.

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