Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; October 3, 2017)

Race 3 has most likely found its second lead hero. While Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Daisy Shah were already locked in, the makers were on the lookout for a second hero. After talks with Sidharth Malhotra and then Aditya Roy Kapur fell through, they have now approached Emraan Hashmi for the part.

There is an urgency to find the second hero for the film, as it goes on the floors this month. Says an industry insider, “Emraan has been cast as the other hero in Race 3. After talks with Sid and Adi didn’t work out, the makers approached him and he has agreed to do the film. He will be romancing Daisy Shah in the film.”

Emraan has no qualms about doing a two-hero film. He has acted with Ajay Devgn in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and Baadshaho recently. In the past, there has been talk about Salman and Emraan two actors working together, but it fizzled out. Hopefully, this time it will work out.

The Raaz franchise
Though Emraan was not part of the first movie of the franchise, he joined in from the sequel. He played a painter named Prithvi, who has an extraordinary gift to paint the future. He foresees an event in Kangana’s life and warns her about it. The movie was a semi-hit. Emraan was also a part of Raaz 3D and Raaz: Reboot, both directed by Vikram Bhatt.

The Jannat films
Jannat, based on betting in the cricketing world, was the surprise hit in 2008. The movie saw him opposite Sonal Chauhan and was directed by Kunal Deshmukh. The sequel saw Emraan and Kunal collaborating again. This time the story was about the issue of illegal arms in Delhi. It also starred Randeep Hooda and Esha Gupta. However, this movie wasn’t as successful as its predecessor.

The Murder series
Emraan starred in the first movie of this franchise that was a remake of the Hollywood film, Unfaithful, but with a twist to it. Emraan’s character had negative shades. The movie, marketed as a steamy flick, was a huge hit at the box office. The success of this movie encouraged the makers to make a sequel. This time around, they left Mallika Sherawat out of the franchise and instead roped in Jacqueline Fernandez. The murder mystery was once again a crowd-puller. However, Emraan didn’t join in the cast of the third film that saw Randeep Hooda playing the lead opposite Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren.