Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 5, 2014)

His heartfelt portrayal of slain activist Shahid Azmi in Hansal Mehta’s 2013 biopic Shahid, garnered much critical acclaim and bagged him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. He followed it up with an equally powerful performance in Queen. And now, Rajkummar Rao has been signed by Ramesh Sippy for a film that will to be the Sholay director’s comeback vehicle.

 Revealed a source close to the director, “Various names were considered for the role, including that of Pulkit Samrat. But after watching Queen, Mr. Sippy was so impressed with Rajkummar’s performance that he immediately got him on board.”

 Interestingly, the film is about a mother-daughter duo who fall in love with the same guy. Added the source, “It’s a sweet rom-com, a genre Rajkummar hasn’t dabbled in before. He’s very kicked about being directed by Mr Sippy being a self-confessed fan.”

 The film, which is expected to go on floors in October, will be set in a hill station up North. “Mr Sippy has locked a few locations and once the logistics are in place, the crew will fly down. The hunt for the two leading ladies is still underway."

 When contacted, Rajkummar Rao confirmed the news saying, “It’s an honour for me to get an opportunity to work with a legend like Mr. Sippy at this point in my career. I’ve been raised on a healthy diet of his films and I am prepared to dedicate myself completely to the role.”