Daily Times

Indian producer Ramesh Taurani has responded to reports about the casting process of ‘Race 4,’ the next title in the action-thriller franchise.

While several actors’ names made rounds on media for the film, Taurani has confirmed that he was in talks with only Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan and Sidharth Malhotra, Indian media outlets reported.

“We would like to clarify that we are currently in discussions only with Saif Ali Khan and Sidharth Malhotra for the next installment of the Race franchise, which is currently in its scripting phase,” his production house said in a statement.

It added, “No other male or female actors have been approached at this stage. We sincerely request the media and social media pages to avoid engaging with false news and to wait for an official confirmation from our PR team.” It was earlier reported that ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’ actor Harshvardhan Rane was in talks with the ‘Race 4’ makers to essay the main antagonist. Bollywood diva Rakul Preet Singh was also reportedly set to collaborate with Saif Ali Khan in the upcoming title.

However, Ramesh Taurani has now dismissed such rumours as his production confirmed discussing the film with Khan and Sidharth Malhotra. Notably, the first two films of the franchise, ‘Race’ and ‘Race 2,’ were both directed by the filmmaking duo Abbas-Mustan and starred Saif Ali Khan, with Bollywood actors Akshaye Khanna and John Abraham, respectively.

For ‘Race 3’, choreographer turned director, Remo D’Souza came on board to helm the direction, with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and Bobby Deol headlining the cast.