MUMBAI: Sonu Sood has had a long wish to work with Shah Rukh Khan, so much so that he had even made Farah Khan promise him that she would cast him alongside Shah Rukh Khan in a film.

This promise came in use when Farah Khan was casting for ‘Happy New Year’. The news is that after John Abraham declined a meaty role in the film based on bad dancers, Farah Khan was on the search for another actor. That’s when news reached Sonu Sood’s ears, and he followed up with Farah Khan.

Unfortunately for Sonu Sood, the role required an actor with a muscular physique, and the actor was lean at that time. He did not lose hope and immediately hit the gym.

Sonu Sood kept sending Farah Khan shirtless photos of himself as he exercised in the gym. “On the ninth day of his regime, he sent the team a picture, Shah Rukh Khan saw it and gave him the thumbs up,” said a source.

With Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan impressed, let’s hope Sonu Sood impresses us as well. ‘Happy New Year’, also starring Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Vivaan Shah and Jackie Shroff, might see a probable Diwali, 2014 release.