Arbaaz Khan yes for Sonakshi Sinha in Dabangg 3!

It has been a while since the news of Dabangg 3 being in the making are doing the rounds. Everybody associated with the movie - Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan - have been asked about its status. And though they have guaranteed that the film will very much happen, there is no timeline that either of them has given.

Lately, in an interview with a famous tabloid, when Arbaaz Khan, who has been a producer of the Dabangg franchise and also the director of the second part, was asked about the third part of the film, he told, "It will happen. I’m going to sit down with Salman, ideate on a few things. This year, we begin with pre-production and preparation. Next year, we start work on the film. It will take up an entire year."

Fascinatingly, news of Sonakshi Sinha not being a part of Dabangg 3 have been making the rounds lately. But, Arbaaz repudiates that and cleared the air. He disclosed, "She should be a part of it, but there might be another leading lady in the film because you have got to add some amount of newness. You cannot change everything, but you can add a few characters... But it is not as though Sonakshi’s role will be non-existent."

While Dabangg was directed by Abhinav Kashyap, Dabangg 2 was helmed by Arbaaz himself. Hence one wonders, who will take charge of Dabangg 3 - Arbaaz himself or some other director. Ask Khan and he tells, "I am still contemplating whether I want to direct it or not. There would be too much on my plate, were I to take it up. Right now, it’s just a possibility that I will direct the film. I will see how everything goes. If I feel comfortable, if I feel there is not much pressure on me because I’m acting, producing, directing, handling Salman, there is a good chance that I will still do it. It’s equally possible that if I can find somebody, who I feel is competent enough, I will bring him in."

Given that Malaika too has had a cameo in both the previous movies, quiz Arbaaz if she would be there in D3 as well, and he tells, "I have no clue. We could manage to get her a small part in D3."

Well, with the movie's pre-production beginning this year, we can hardly wait to know what's in store for all of us. And though the script of the third part is being written by Dilip Shukla, Salman Khan has a lot of inputs. Confirms Arbaaz to the tabloid, "Dilip Shukla is the chief writer and he also wrote for the first two films. Also, Salman himself is making several writing suggestions as he has ideas on the direction Dabangg 3 should take. Much of the writing credit for the franchise should go to Salman, that’s another matter. Any contribution Salman makes to the script is going to be big."