Stories of Ranveer Singh’s single-minded focus when acting are famous. Expectedly, he is no different in his new role as a producer. mid-day has exclusively learnt that the actor, who is turning producer with Pralay, played a key role in roping in Kalyani Priyadarshan as the female lead of director Jai Mehta’s zombie thriller.

The actor caught everyone’s attention with her superhero turn in the Malayalam blockbuster Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025). It turns out she was in two minds about making her Bollywood debut at this stage, until Singh stepped in.

A source revealed, “Though her father Priyadarshan is well-known in Bollywood, Kalyani doesn’t have much knowledge about the Hindi film industry. The actor, who is on a career high after Lokah’s success, was taking her time to discern whether she should step into Hindi movies and if Pralay would be the best launch vehicle. Since it’s his home production, Ranveer picked up the phone on her and convinced her. After a long chat, she understood that Ranveer and Jai are bringing a novel world with the movie, and excitedly came on board.”

Pralay is envisioned as a post-apocalyptic zombie thriller, with Singh and his wife — essayed by Kalyani — fighting for survival. The film, co-produced by Sameer Nair and Hansal Mehta, is expected to roll in April.

The source added, “Kalyani is currently in Mumbai. She is in the process of locking the deal and finalizing her dates with the makers.”