Did Randeep Hooda demand Rs 11 crore for Sarabjit biopic?

Randeep Hooda

Rumours about changes in the cast and crew for the Sarabjit Singh biopic refuse to die down. Initially, Hansal Mehta was supposed to direct Kangana Ranaut (as Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit's sister) in the project, but it was recently announced that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Randeep Hooda have been roped in to play siblings with Omung Kumar at the helm.

Randeep Hooda

Now, the latest buzz suggests that the makers might replace Randeep since he has allegedly demanded an astronomical amount to play Sarabjit, the Indian national who spent more than 20 years in a Pakistani jail on espionage charges, and fatally assaulted by fellow prisoners in 2013. A source says, "Currently, we are working on the pre-production and the casting is underway. During the initial discussion, Randeep had agreed to do the film, but quoted a big amount. So, the makers are now exploring other options and may replace him."

A source close to the production team reveals that the actor demanded Rs 11 crore for the biopic considering his "current market demand". The makers are still negotiating with him. "Randeep evinced interest in the project, so we went ahead and announced the cast. Now, if things fall in place and he decides to reduce his fee, we will start rolling with him," adds the insider.

While Randeep did not respond to our text messages, producer Sandeep Singh denies the buzz.