Not Suniel Shetty, but this actor was playing Dev in Dhadkan, he later replaced action star from Sunny Deol's...

In the 1990s, actor Suniel Shetty enjoyed a phenomenal run at the box office. However, by the late 90s, the action star made some bad choices (read- Aakrosh, Humse Badhkar Kaun, Hu Tu Tu, Bade Dilwala, Kaala Samrajya), and it looked like his career would further slump in 2000. 

However, the Border star made a solid entry into the new millennium. After showcasing his comic timing in the superhit Hera Pheri, Suniel played the role of a possessive lover to such perfection that it gave a new boost to his career. Yes, we are talking about Dhadkan. 

In the romantic drama, Suniel played a grey-shade character Dev, and he won the masses and critics with his performance. Despite Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty's terrific chemistry, Suniel became the scene-stealer and walked away with major accolades.  However, it would be interesting to know that Suniel wasn't the first choice for Dev. 

The actor who was signed to play Dev was...

Arbaaz Khan was originally signed to play the antogonist in the movie. The photos of Arbaaz with Akshay and Shilpa were published in the magazines.

However, he was later replaced by Suniel Shetty. In an interview, Dharmesh Darshan (director) revealed that before Suniel, Arbaaz rejected the film, and even Bobby Deol. 

When Arbaaz Khan replaced Suniel in a film

Two years after Dhadkan, Arbaaz replaced Suniel in Sunny Deol's Maa Tujhe Salaam. Reportedly, Suniel was the first choice for the role of antogonist Albaksh, but he opted out from the movie after a reported fight between him and the director Tinnu Verma. When it comes to box office performance, Maa Tujhe Salaam was a below-average grosser.

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