It’s been eight years since Dabangg released and to commemorate the occasion, Salman Khan announced the third installment of the film, which will release in 2019. Sonakshi, cast opposite Salman in the franchise, will also star in Dabangg 3 as she expressed her excitement about the upcoming film. On Twitter, Salman and Sonakshi shared stills from the film and thanked fans for their love and appreciation.

“Aaj 8 saal Ho Gaye Dabangg Ko... thank u for all the appreciation and love from Rajjo and Chulbul Pandey...see u in #Dabangg3 next year,” Salman wrote in his tweet. The 52-year-old actor is expected to begin work on Dabangg 3 after wrapping his current project Bharat. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Bharat will conclude in January and if reports are to be believed, Salman will start shooting for Dabangg 3 soon after.

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Read Salman’s tweet:

https://twitter.com/BeingSalmanKhan/status/1039155560753426432

In another tweet, Salman posted a picture with D3 team:

https://twitter.com/BeingSalmanKhan/status/1039431150282973184

Sonakshi, in her post, thanked team Dabangg for making her realise her calling. Read her tweet:

https://twitter.com/sonakshisinha/status/1039159467441627136

Dabangg 3 will be directed by Prabhudeva and reports suggest that the film will be based on the real-life story of a Noida cop. It will be filmed extensively in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad and Noida areas. Dabangg released in 2010 while a sequel to it was made two years later. Both films were blockbusters.

The entire cast of Dabangg 3 is yet to be announced while reports suggest that Salman will be launching director Mahesh Manjrekar’s daughter Ashwami in the film. His Race 3 co-star Saqib Saleem has been cast as the antagonist in Dabangg 3 as per media reports.

Salman is currently working on Bharat, co-starring Katrina Kaif and Disha Patani. The film will release on Eid 2019.