Auditioned 50 boys before taking Sudheer in 'Baaghi': Sabbir Khan

Filmmaker Sabbir Khan, who is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming film "Baaghi", says he took auditions of 50 boys for the role of villain in the film before finalising actor Sudheer Babu.

"Casting Raghav was the most crucial task while we were casting for the film. Raghav needed to be extremely charming and yet sinister, his character hails from Southern India, specifically Kerala, and most importantly he needed to be a better, stronger fighter than Tiger Shroff," Sabbir said in a statement.

Sabbir, who has previously directed films like "Kambakkht Ishq" and "Heropanti", says he didn't want to cast anyone and make him act like a southern Indian.

"After auditioning about 50 boys, I was fortunate that one day I found a video of Sudheer on the internet and that wowed me. It was a show reel of his gymnastics and dancing abilities. He had a great body and a vulnerable face, a unique personality," Sabbir said.

"My team did a little research on him and we got to know he was a mainstream hero down South. We got in touch with him and flew him down and only knew much later that he flew down for a courtesy meeting with the intention to say 'no' if a role was offered to him," he added.

He shared that after the meeting, Sudheer got hooked to the script of the film so much that he decided to be a part of it.

Sudheer, who is making his Bollywood debut with "Baaghi", has previously appeared in southern Indian films like "Prema Katha Chitram" and "Krishnamma Kalipindi Iddarini".

"Baaghi", which also stars Shraddha Kapoor, is slated to release on April 29.