Abhinav hit gold at the box office with his story about a corrupt but golden-hearted cop in the Hindi heartland, played by Salman Khan. But rumours suggested that the debutante director did not get along with the Khan brothers.
Arbaaz confirmed the news saying that he will be wearing the director’s cap for the first time for the sequel.
"Definitely, I am directing Dabangg 2. I would have loved though if Abhinav had stayed on to be the director because no one wants to disturb the winning combination.
However, if he wishes to move on, its entirely his choice. I am sure he would have had some reasons of his own," Arbaaz said. Arbaaz, who turned producer after trying his luck as an actor in movies like Hello Brother and Kissan, said that Abhinav opted out because of some "personal and professional reasons" without elaborating on it. He, however, has bulk dates with his superstar brother Salman Khan and plans to begin shooting next year.
"Salman is a busy star and to get bulk dates from him is a huge thing. Since he is committed to the film now, all my concentration is on getting the ground work in place on Dabangg 2," he added. This means that before the shooting begins for Dabangg 2, the cast and crew will be finalised by August, September this year.
"Before September, we will have to get everything in order so that there are no issues around the groundwork. This also means that the entire production team would be busy starting now itself. There can’t be any false steps," said Arbaaz.
Informing the change of guard, Arbaaz tweeted that he has already started working on the script of the movie. "Scripting has already started, the filming starts by early January. Start sound, camera, action. Inshallah Dabangg 2 will live up to all the expectations and be a huge blockbuster because of you all," he tweeted. Abhinav was unavailable for comments.(PTI)