Actor Vijay Raaz, who was originally slated to play a significant role in the upcoming film ‘Son of Sardaar 2’, was removed from the project on the very first day of shooting, according to a report by Pinkvilla. The incident sparked a controversy. Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak claimed that Raaz was fired due to his behaviour on the sets, which included demands for bigger rooms, a premium vanity cart and allegedly overcharging spot boys.

When Hindustan Times asked him for his side of the story, Vijay Raaz refuted the allegations and termed them as “lies”. He stressed that all the logistical arrangements, including accommodation and amenities, were discussed and agreed much before he even set foot on the set in Scotland. “This is all lies. All these discussions take place before the actor steps on the set. The fact that they are mentioning it now in itself means that there is something fishy going on. All this was decided and that is why I travelled all the way to Scotland for the shoot,” Raaz explained.

He further explained that he asked for a bigger room because he needed space for his regular yoga practice. “I told them my room was full; I do yoga, so I need some space other than the bed,” he clarified. According to Raaz, the production team seemed accommodating at first, but the next morning, things took an unexpected turn.

“The next morning, everything seemed fine when I was informed that my shoot would begin in the next four hours,” said Raaz. But just 30 minutes later, he was abruptly asked to leave the set. “I told them, ‘Aapne bulaya tha, ab aap yeh keh rahe hain’. I cannot force anyone to keep me; I am not a junior artist. I have been working for decades,” he stressed.

Raaz speculated that his dismissal could have been related to his failure to greet the film’s lead actor Ajay Devgn properly. He suspected that there could have been a misunderstanding or an insult that led to the producer’s sudden change in behaviour: “I was in the middle of it. I was standing with people at a place and I saw Ajay ji talking to someone. I thought I will go and meet him, it was his scene that was being shot. Kumar Mangat ji’s behaviour was different till that point. Aadhe ghante baad kya ho gaya. What happened to him? Aisa kya badal gaya?” he told the publication.

Kumar Mangat Pathak had earlier confirmed Raaz’s exit from the film, citing “the actor’s behaviour on the set” as the reason. Pathak claimed that Raaz made excessive demands, including a premium suite and higher than usual payments for his spot boy, which allegedly exceeded the budget for the shoot in the UK.

Son Of Sardaar 2 is directed by Vijay Kumar Arora and is released almost 12 years after the original. In the first film, Ajay Devgn tried to win Sonakshi Sinha’s hand by trying to impress her elder brother, played by Sanjay Dutt. However, reports say that Sonakshi Sinha will not be seen in the sequel. A release date for the film has not been finalized yet.