7 Times An Actor's Role Was Deleted Or Sneakily Reduced In Big Movies And Series

Actors and performers often put in days of hard work, only to find their scenes, roles, or songs missing from the final product. In movies and streaming series, this has happened because of political tensions, editing choices, or creative decisions made late in the process.

7 Times An Actor's Role Was Deleted Or Reduced

From Pankaj Tripathi's role in Lakshya to Govinda in Jagga Jasoos, here are seven times when an actor's scenes were deleted completely or cut down by a big margin.

1. Pankaj Tripathi – Lakshya

Pankaj Tripathi played Subedar Kuldeep Singh in the Hrithik Roshan starrer Lakshya. His role was cut from the film, and nobody told him. In an interview with The Indian Express, he said he learned the truth only when he went to the theatre to watch the film and came back upset.

"I went to watch Lakshya at Ashok cinema hall there along with my wife. The entire film got over and I was nowhere to be seen. My agony doubled, not because I have been edited out, but because this news had already been published in the newspaper."

2. Anup Soni – Shaque: Trust No One

(Image: Instagram/@anupsoni3)

Anup Soni played Inspector Khurana in Netflix's mystery thriller Shaque: Trust No One. Some of his scenes did not make it into the show. He posted about it and said that a lot of effort goes into such sequences, even though they don't always stay in the final cut.

"There can be a little disappointment when a sequence doesn't make the final cut, but filmmaking is about the larger picture, and sometimes, leaving something out serves the story better. It's all part of the process."

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3. Govinda – Jagga Jasoos

(Image: Instagram/@govinda_herono1)

Govinda shot a lot of scenes for Anurag Basu's Jagga Jasoos, which starred Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. His part was removed from the final cut, and the actor appeared to be unhappy about it.

"I did my job as an actor and if the director is not happy it's completely his call. I was unwell and on drips but still, I travelled to South Africa and did my shoot. I was told they will narrate the film in South Africa and I didn't even charge my signing amount, made no contracts. I gave full respect to Kapoor family. I did the film because he is my senior's son. I was told I will get the script," the actor said in an interview.

4. Mahira Khan – Raees

(Image: X/@gogokaghagraa)

Pakistani actress Mahira Khan made her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Raees. After the Uri attack, Pakistani artists faced strong criticism in the Indian film industry and were stopped from shooting and promoting their work in India. Because of this, her romantic scenes with SRK were cut down.

"At that time, I was angry. I was sad and angry and there were moments of disappointment and just hurt, you know. Now I've come to a place where I believe that anger doesn't really make me a better actor. It doesn't do anything for me as a person, so I've let go of that, because at that time I was in the mix of it," she said in an interview.

ALSO READ - Mahira Khan 'Brought Shah Rukh Khan Along' To Set On Working Sunday

5. Puneet Vashisht – Josh

Puneet Vashisht played Ronnie alongside Shah Rukh Khan in Mansoor Khan's 2000 film Josh. He has spoken about how much of his role was cut.

"A lot was cut from Josh. I had trained Shah Rukh bhai in dance and he was aware of my energy. When Mansoor Khan would set up shots, SRK was known for his energy. He would do a 10-foot jump and mine would be 14 feet. So the focus shifted to me and I was cut out."

He added that he would have done the same if he had been in Shah Rukh's place.

6. Fawad Khan – Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

(Image: X/@alfiyastic)

Fawad Khan was one of the leads in Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which also starred Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor. As tension between India and Pakistan grew, his role was trimmed down by a big margin. In the end, it looked more like a cameo.

7. Raghav Juyal – Happy New Year

Actor and dancer Raghav Juyal shot a dance-battle scene with Shah Rukh Khan for Farah Khan's 2014 film Happy New Year. He has said in interviews that the scene was cut from the final theatrical release.

Farah Khan had introduced him to Shah Rukh on set, and it was the first time the two met and worked together. The two will now share screen space in King.

FAQ

1. Why was Pankaj Tripathi's role in Lakshya cut?

Pankaj Tripathi shot for the role of Subedar Kuldeep Singh, but it was edited out of the final film. He was not told about it and found out only after watching the film in a theatre.

2. Why were Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan's roles reduced?

Both were affected by the tension between India and Pakistan. After the Uri attack, Pakistani artists faced strong criticism in the Indian film industry, and their scenes in Raees and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil were cut down.