Bollywood has a weird habit of replacing actors in sequels of hit movies. Sometimes it works. However, on most days, it just kills the reason why the original films were such a hit, to begin with. 

1. John Abraham replaced Akshay Kumar in the sequel for Welcome, Welcome Back 

While the film did well at the box office, it must be remembered that pretty much any Bollywood film does with an A-list actor does. However, the sequel just didn’t have the same vibes that the original film had. And kudos to John Abraham for trying but he just doesn’t have Kumar’s timing when it comes to comedy. 

Deccan Chronicle

2. Manish Paul replaced Ali Zafar in Tere Bin Laden’s sequel, Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive

The fault doesn’t necessarily lie with Paul, who on paper does seem like an apt replacement. However, the film lacked the heart and soul of the original film. Having a not so memorable script to work on, probably wasn’t the best choice either. 

Indian Express

3. Akshay Kumar replaced Arshad Warsi in Jolly LL.B’s sequel, Jolly LL.B 2

The first film was down to earth, its characters were likeable, relatable and that is why a film that nobody expected much out of became such a hit. Arshad Warsi as Jolly was the heart and the soul of the film. Akshay Kumar’s sequel, however, was a one-man show dangerously glorifying caste while trying to paddle too many boats at once. The film’s over the top arc was also extremely unrealistic and seemed like a one-man play that no one signed up to watch. 

Bollywood Hungama

4. Randeep Hooda replaced Emraan Hashmi in Murder 2.’s sequel Murder 3. 

The first two films of the Murder trilogy had Emraan Hashmi as the lead. And each of these films was a standalone movie in its own right, Murder 3 had lost the Hashmi as a face. And while Randeep Hooda was a good choice for the film, there’s only so much an actor can do. 

IMDb

5. Akshay Kumar replaced Emraan Hashmi In Once Upon A Time In Mumbai’s sequel, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobara

Emraan Hashmi had received a lot of critical acclaim for his role in the first film, so it had never made any sense to replace him, to begin with. That said, Hashmi might have rejected the part himself after reading the script he had to work with. Akshay Kumar was just over the top playing a character that was already an eccentric character. The whole film just seemed caricaturish, even to the laymen. 

Netflix

6. Parineeti Chopra replaced Kareena Kapoor in Golmaal 2’s sequel, Golmaal 3. 

While the film did well at the box office, it simply didn’t have the charm of its predecessor. Now Parineeti Chopra is not to blame for it as Kareena Kapoor was never the reason Golmaal 2 worked o begin with. 

Indian Express

7. Abhishek Bachchan replaced Saswata Chatterjee in Kahani’s spin off, Bob Biswas. 

Even the internet found it perplexing to understand why Saswata was replaced when his performance as the assassin was why a spin-off was even possible. And while Abhishek Bachchan did understand the assignment, his version of the character was just mild and the script simply didn’t allow him to have an intimidating aura. 

India.com

Why fix something if it ain’t broke, right?