It seems unlikely that Salman Khan’s much-awaited Dabangg 3 will clash at the box office this December with Ranveer Singh’s Simmba. Or on Independence Day in 2019 with Brahmastra starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The reason being that Dabangg 3 is being bankrolled by Arbaaz Khan. And the Bollywood actor and filmmaker currently finds himself deeply embroiled in the IPL betting racket that is being investigated by the Thane Police’s Crime Branch. As a result of which elder brother Salman Khan, who plays the role of the iconic cop Chulbul Pandey in the Dabangg franchise, is upset and has called for a hold on the film.
According to sources in the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Thane Police, Arbaaz is being questioned by former Mumbai Police encounter specialist, Sr. PI Pradeep Sharma. And along with details of his involvement with arrested Dawood Ibrahim Company bookie Sonu ‘Malad’ Jalan in the IPL betting, Arbaaz is also revealing unrelated tidbits about his life and work to the police that have reportedly been compromised by his weakness for betting.
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It is gathered from the first round of questioning that Arbaaz has been put through, that the actor-filmmaker told the Thane Police his divorce to actress and model Malaika Arora Khan last year was a fall out of his betting habit. He is also said to have ruefully admitted that his next production, his brother Salman Khan’s Dabangg 3, will now also be put on hold while he struggles to come out of this betting involvement.
Dabangg 3 was initially supposed to hit the screens this Christmas which would have brought it in direct conflict with Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero. That box office clash was averted when Salman himself reportedly said he would not like to release with SRK’s film. If the film was pushed back by a week, it would clash with Simmba next. Bollywood trade pundits said that since both, Dabangg 3 and Simmba, were cop films, it might be an overdose for audiences. The film then looked at an opening on Republic Day 2019. This went to Independence Day in 2019 when Salman got busy with Bharat which he wants to release on Eid 2019. Now the making of Dabangg 3 itself appears to be uncertain… forget the release date.
