War Almost Never Happened: Siddharth Anand Reveals Why Tiger Shroff Was the Dealbreaker

Director Siddharth Anand shares that War would’ve been scrapped if Tiger Shroff hadn’t joined Hrithik Roshan in the blockbuster spy thriller.

War 2 is one of the most anticipated sequels of the year, but the journey of this high-octane action franchise almost ended before it began. Director Siddharth Anand recently revealed a surprising behind-the-scenes story — the 2019 hit War, starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, might never have happened if one key actor had declined the role.

In the original War, Hrithik Roshan played a rogue RAW agent, with Tiger Shroff as his determined protégé tasked with stopping him. Also starring Vaani Kapoor and Ashutosh Rana, the film impressed audiences with its sleek action, stylish visuals, and gripping narrative. It quickly became one of the biggest box office successes of 2019 and marked another win for Siddharth Anand, known for his work on Bang Bang.

But few knew just how dependent the project was on the casting of Tiger Shroff. In a past interview with PTI, Anand disclosed, “The first choice was Hrithik because we share a great equation. Post Bang Bang!, I’d been developing a script for him. Fortunately, he loved it. But I also knew — if Hrithik is in the film, the protégé can be no one else but Tiger.”

Anand’s vision for the film hinged entirely on the dynamic between Hrithik and Tiger. Without that chemistry, he admitted he was ready to drop the film altogether. Thankfully, Tiger came on board — and the rest is action cinema history.

With War 2 set to push the franchise into even bigger territory, fans can look back at just how close they came to never seeing this epic spy showdown unfold on screen.

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