Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is on a career high with upcoming films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Raees, has now decided to foray into production. His first project, Miyan Kal Aana, is a 17-minute short directed by his brother Shamas Nawab Siddiqui. It will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Corner category, a non-competition segment.

The film looks at the controversial Halala law in Islam and questions its treatment of women. According to the rule, if a Muslim man wants to remarry his divorced wife, he has to get her married to another man who will then have to divorce her before they are reunited. “This law is strictly enforced in my village and it bothered me a lot. I felt that the the best way, to address the issue is through a film. The fact that its made it to the Cannes festival is the icing on the cake,“ Shamas beams.

Did he not think of casting Nawaz in the film to make it more marketable? “No, he's produced it and that's enough. I haven't dabbled in direction before and I'm grateful to Nawaz for supporting me,“ he said. Instead, Shamas cast the residents of his hometown in Uttar Pradesh. “Most of my cast are non-actors and the film was an enriching experience for them,“ Shamas asserts, admitting that a full-length feature is his goal now. “Miyaan Kal Aana is just the beginning.“