Majid Majidi was in Mumbai just 10 days ago for a week to prep for his next and no one had a clue. The Iranian writer-producer-director well loved across the world for films like The Colour of Paradise, Baran, The Song of Sparrows, Muhammad: The Messenger of God and the Oscar-nominated Children of Heaven was in the city and met his casting director, Honey Trehan, on his upcoming, as-yet-untitled film which is an Indian story and will be shot in Mumbai, Delhi, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and Kashmir.

“It will take off towards the year-end or early 2017 and is a signature Majidi film in its take on relationships and emotional quotient,“ informs Trehan who has a task on his hands given that at least eight-10 of the principal characters in this human drama will be played by Indian actors drawn from across the country.

“He's not star-struck, for him the characters are real and he has experimented with untrained talent in the past if he believes someone fits the part. We read the script together and I gave him my take. I've worked with Vishal Bhardwaj, I experienced the same warmth, the same approach to cinema, the same inspiring trust from Majidi. There was a sense of déjà vu!“

Trehan is the second person to come on board after A R Rahman. A fatwa was issued against everyone involved with his last film, including Majidi and Rahman, by fundamentalists for making a film on the Prophet titled Muhammad. But that hasn't stopped the Oscar-winning composer from reuniting with the director. Did they go location-scouting around Mumbai during this visit? “No, we didn't, but I'm sure he won't show us a Mumbai we know,“ he promises.