Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) and Gadar 2 (2023) have shown filmmaker Anil Sharma’s penchant for big-scale entertainers. The director is taking the same route with his next, Arjun Naga, which stars his son Utkarsh Sharma in the titular role and Arjun Rampal as the antagonist. Now, Randeep Hooda and Celina Jaitly have joined the period drama that will be made in four parts. At the centre of the offerings is the dramatisation of the 1966 oil rush of Dubai.

For the emirate, 1966 was a turning point as oil was discovered in the Fateh field, transforming the modest trading and fishing port into a global economic powerhouse. We’ve heard Arjun Naga will begin in the early 1960s.

A source said, “The story will begin when Dubai was still a small fishing and trading centre with dusty roads and simple homes. It will capture how an oil exploration concession was given to the Continental Oil Company in 1963, leading to years of drilling before oil was discovered. Arjun Naga will explore the fictional characters’ power dynamics against the emirate’s changing landscape and how their fortunes turned with the oil rush. Utkarsh’s character will rise from extreme poverty to become one of the richest men in Dubai.”

Currently being shot in Film City, Mumbai, the first instalment is expected to be wrapped by March 2027.

When mid-day reached out to Sharma, he confirmed the development, saying, “Arjun Naga is about Dubai’s oil rush in the 1960s. We are making the film in four parts, and it will have 10-12 top actors in pivotal roles spread across these instalments. The title will change with each part. We will shoot in Mumbai, Rajasthan, other parts of India, Dubai, and other international cities.”