Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar starrer 2.0 is finally ready to hit the screen in November this year after much delay. But did you know that S Shankar wanted Rajinikanth to fight Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2.0. Yes, before Akshay came on board as the villain, Arnold was supposed to fight Rajinikanth in the film. So then what really happened? Why was The Terminator actor replaced by Akshay Kumar? Inside buzz suggests that the makers were keen on roping in Arnold despite the inflation in the budget. However, the Hollywood star’s demands made the producers slightly uncomfortable. Apparently, Schwarzenegger’s team demanded that the movie be wrapped in a stipulated time, which obviously the team was not comfortable promising considering that the film’s scale was humongous and the industry did not function like in the west.

Akshay Kumar was roped in to play the part and the makers we hear were super happy with Bollywood’s Khiladi. The Padman hero was very accommodating and did not mind the delay in the project that was caused due to Rajinikanth’s health concerns. Akshay we hear was super thrilled to be sharing space with the southern superstar and gave the film his nod immediately.

2.0 is one of the most expensive films ever made in India and has a budget of Rs 543 crore. The movie is supposed to be a sequel to Enthiran and is slated to release in 15 languages including Hindi and Tamil. Apart from Akshay Kumar the film also features Amy Jackson. Before roping in Akshay and approaching Arnold the makers we hear were also in talks with Vikram, Aamir Khan and even Rajini’s competitor Kamal Haasan, all of who turned down the role.

There was also buzz about how Amitabh Bachchan, who has worked with Rajinikanth in the past and shares a friendly rapport with the Thalaiva was to do a cameo in this movie. Rumours started gaining momentum when Abhishek and Amitabh visited Rajinikanth on sets of 2.0. The record was set straight and all these suggestions were rubbished later.

2.0 will mark Akshay Kumar debut in south movies and slated to release on November 29 this year. Do you think Akshay is a perfect replacement for Arnold? Or watching Rajinikanth fight Arnold Schwarzenegger be the ultimate paisa vasool moment? Comment and tell us.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 25, 2018 03:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).