Actor to play an NRI returning to his hometown in a project that also features Naseeruddin Shah
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 28, 2018)

Mirror was the first to report (March 21) that National Award-winning filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar is ready to roll with his yet-untitled gritty family drama this summer. The film reunites Bhumika and Khamosh co-stars, Naseeruddin Shah and Amol Palekar, 13 years after they collaborated on Paheli, with the former lending voice to a puppet.

Now, we have learnt that Manjrekar has signed action hero Vidyut Jammwal as the leading man. “We have had several narrations with Vidyut over the last four months and he loved the script. He plays a well-educated and suave NRI, who, after returning to his hometown of Mumbai, gets caught in a tricky situation. His look completely changes in the film as he gets kicking and punching,” producer Vijay Galani told Mirror, adding that the Vaastav filmmaker has been re-working the dialogue once Vidyut signed on the dotted line.

After his 2005 fantasy-drama, Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi, featuring Shahid Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Amrita Rao, Manjrekar went on to direct acclaimed Marathi films Kaksparsh, Natasamrath and the most recent FU: Friendship Unlimited, for which Salman Khan sang a single. “Now, he is returning to Bollywood with a powerful script that he has been working on for a couple of years,” Galani added. “We will be exploring locations in and around Mumbai that have never been seen on screen before. The film will have an intense Vaastav-like feel to it since it is an equally edgy and action-packed drama,” he revealed.

It features an ensemble cast of over 10 actors, including Prateik Babbar and Jishu Sengupta. “The leading lady plays a crucial role in the transformation that Vidyut’s character goes through once he returns to India. We have been in talks with a popular actress and will be locking her dates soon,” Galani informed.

Meanwhile, Vidyut, who was last seen as an army officer in Milan Luthria’s Baadshaho alongside Ajay Devgn, will next be seen in Hollywood filmmaker Chuck Russell’s international project, Junglee, an action-adventure set around a widespread poaching racket. The Junglee Pictures production, which explores the relationship between man and animal, has been shot extensively in Thailand’s Chiang Mai elephant reservation and national park.