When Ajay Devgn announced Son of Sardaar 2 almost 12 years after the original’s release, the questions about the cast were inevitable. Earlier, reports suggested that neither leading lady Sonakshi Sinha nor Sanjay Dutt would feature in the action comedy’s sequel. But now, mid-day has exclusively learnt that Dutt has been signed on for Vijay Kumar Arora’s directorial venture. 

So, will the actor reprise his role of Balwinder Singh Sandhu aka Billu to Devgn’s Jassi? Yes and no. It turns out that the sequel is a fresh story, and doesn’t pick up where the original ended. A source reveals, “That said, since the characters of Billu and Jassi were loved by the audiences, the two actors are expected to stick to their characters’ names. Their dynamics, however, will be different. While the two were at loggerheads with hilarious results in Son of Sardaar, this time, their rivalry will be intense, with Sanjay’s role leaning towards the antagonist. Off screen, the two actors are close friends, and Ajay has made sure that Sanjay has a fantastic role in the second part.”