Dragon: Shahid Kapoor To Replace Tovino Thomas As Antagonist In Jr NTR Starrer?

Jr NTR's Dragon, directed by Prashanth Neel, is currently filming. Recently, Malayalam star Tovino Thomas confirmed his exit from the film, citing date issues. Tovino shared that Mollywood actors like him are used to completing a film in one go. He backed down from featuring in Dragon because it was not possible for him to allocate multiple dates for a project like this as that would meddle with his commitment to other projects, especially in the Malayalam film industry.

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After Tovino has backed out from featuring in Dragon, rumours are rife that Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor may take up the role of the antagonist opposite Jr NTR. Mythri Movie Makers and NTR Arts, the makers of Dragon, are reportedly keen on Shahid playing the role of the villain in this big ticket actioner and if all goes well, he could come onboard the cast soon. However, nothing official regarding Dragon's casting has been shared by the team.

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Anil Kapoor has been roped in for a pivotal role in Dragon and Shahid could be the second Bollywood actor onboard Dragon. Rukmini Vasanth is playing the female lead opposite Jr NTR. While the cast will certainly get a starry boost if Shahid agrees to do the part, Jr NTR's last two releases - War 2 and Devara - both were opposite Bollywood stars and they flopped at the box office. These back-to-back collaborations with Hindi film stars have not proven to be beneficial for Jr NTR. Could Dragon break the pattern? Only time will tell.

Shahid, meanwhile, will next feature in Cocktail 2, alongside Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna. The rom-com will hit the big screens on June 19. The Haider star will also begin shoot for season 2 of Farzi this year. New episodes could drop in 2027.