Genelia Deshmukh’s latest film Sitaare Zameen Par (SZP) hasn’t just won at the box-office, but also warmed the audience’s hearts.

This success is all the more special for the actor, since the film marked her first full-fledged role in a Hindi theatrical in 13 years. “I didn’t do much work in the last 10 years, except maybe for friends, here and there and two-three films on OTT. I thought people would forget me and that I didn’t matter,” shares Genelia as she meets with us in the Capital.

However, the 37-year-old says, “It’s an Aamir Khan film, of course it had a lot more eyeballs. But, it’s refreshing to hear people say that they want to see more of me — that has been the best compliment. As an actor, if someone wants to see you a lot more, it’s a very special place that not everyone gets.”

Ask about how she decided to make her silver screen comeback and she reveals that it was Aamir who wanted to cast her. “He met Riteish (Deshmukh, husband-actor) somewhere, and asked ‘Is Genelia working nowadays?’ Then Aamir asked me to meet R S Prasanna (director).”

SZP revolves around a group of specially abled adults, who are mentored by an arrogant basketball coach (Aamir). Genelia plays his headstrong wife, a role that she tells us she auditioned for. “I know most actors might feel, ‘Why audition after 20 years in the industry?’ But I think it’s a great way of getting a film,” she says.

The actor, who is set to star opposite Emraan Hashmi in Gunnmaaster G9 reflects on the success of SZP and muses, “I think if you make a good film, it eventually finds its audience.”

She adds, “I’m happy that the film did what it did. I really wanted it to be a blockbuster for the sitaares, and I am glad it picked up. It’s the first time I have been part of a film that talks about inclusion.”

At one point in our interview, Aamir Khan candidly says, “I’m not known for my practicality.” We’d disagree. After all, the actor and producer is one of the sharpest business minds in the Indian film industry. That explains why the industry is looking to him as he tries what could well be a gamble with his upcoming release, Sitaare Zameen Par. 

Khan has announced that the slice-of-life film, directed by R S Prasanna, won’t be available on OTT after its theatrical release, defying the current business model of the industry. 

To some, it’s a risky move. To him, it’s a matter of loyalty. “I’m a loyalist of cinema. I have reached here because of theatres, and I won’t turn my back on them. Secondly, I have faith in my audience. We keep saying that the audience doesn’t come to theatres. It’s common sense that I cannot sell the same thing twice. That’s why I am coming only in theatres,” explains Khan, while also refuting rumours that he is opting for a pay-per-view model on YouTube for the film.

Making the unusual decision was admittedly scary. Scarier even was that no one in the industry endorsed the move. The superstar recalls, “Some of my friends said that I was taking too big a risk. I was in a dilemma because, of course, I also get scared.”

But one person showed faith in him, when nobody else did. “One person put me on the track — Mr [Amitabh] Bachchan. During a dinner at his house, I told him my problem. He said, ‘You always take risks. You are known to be a risk taker. You should do it.’ When a person like Amit ji backed me to do it, I became confident. The next day, I told my team, ‘Amit ji has told us. We are not releasing anywhere, only in theatres.’”

The superstar knows that with Sitaare Zameen Par — which also stars Genelia Deshmukh, and tells a heartfelt story of how 10 neuro-divergent kids inspire an ill-mannered basketball coach to change for the better — he is changing the norms of the industry. But he insists he is doing what feels right to him. 

Khan says, “No production house is green-lighting a film until you pre-sell it digitally. So, you’ve shown that you won’t make a film without OTT. I’ve made it clear that I won’t make a film with OTT. I have no problem with streamers, but I don’t think it’s logical that a film streams so soon after its release. Show my film on OTT after six months, I won’t mind it. But OTT platforms told me, ‘If you are not streaming it within eight weeks of release, then we don’t want it.’ I said no to that. I’m losing a lot of money. If a film of mine without presale from OTT doesn’t do well in theatres, I’m finished.”

The question then is: How did streamers become so powerful to dictate the business in Bollywood? “We’ve taken the wrong step. We are responsible,” admits Khan.

Now, as he is hoping to undo the practice, the actor believes he couldn’t have asked for a better film. He remembers being touched by the story — an adaptation of the Spanish film, Campeones (2018) — when Prasanna approached him with it in 2022. The actor’s only hesitation was that the character of Gulshan, a politically incorrect guy, was far from him.

“I told R S Prasanna that the character is politically incorrect, rude, and arrogant. There are a lot of people in the industry who will suit him. Why don’t we go to them? I even suggested the name,” he laughs. But the director was clear that he wanted Khan in the role, and the superstar agreed. 

Khan’s excitement regarding the film, however, turned into desolation after Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) tanked at the box office within days of its release. “When Laal Singh didn’t do well, I was heartbroken. We were to start Sitaare… I called Prasanna and said, ‘I am in depression. How will I work in depression? I won’t be able to do it. I don’t want to leave the house right now. My crying hasn’t ended yet.’ I told him to make it with someone else,” recounts the actor. Prasanna respected his wishes, and chose two actors to lead the film that was to be made in two languages, at that time.

Khan reveals, “We finalised Farhan Akhtar for Hindi and Sivakarthikeyan for the Tamil version. Dates were locked.” However, just before going into prep, the superstar started having a change of heart. “In that one week [of fine-tuning the script], as Divy Nidhi Sharma [writer] was reading it, I suddenly felt, ‘Why am I not doing this film? It’s such a good script.’ As the week ended, I told them how I was feeling. I said that of course, nothing could be done as the bullet had left the gun.”

While Prasanna was happy to know that Khan, his first choice, wished to lead the film, he requested the superstar to talk to Akhtar and Sivakarthikeyan. After much pressure from his collaborators, when Khan spoke to the two actors, they were graceful about the turn of events. He remembers, “Farhan was disappointed. He really loved the role, but he understood. Sivakarthikeyan said, ‘Why are you saying sorry, sir? Please do the film. It’s yours.’”

Aamir Khan’s mother Zeenat Hussain and sister Nikhat Hegde have cameos in Sitaare Zameen Par. When Hussain visited the movie set one day, director R S Prasanna decided to cast her in the title song that plays at the end of the film. Hegde features in another scene.

When watching an Aamir Khan film, you can almost always be assured of two things — sensitivity, and authenticity. That was the superstar’s objective as he set out to shoot for Sitaare Zameen Par, which sees him as a foul-tempered basketball coach who is instructed to train players with special needs. We’ve learnt that Khan and director R S Prasanna selected students from Urja Special School in Kandivali, a counselling and remedial centre that serves children and adults with special needs, to portray the players in the slice-of-life film.

Child psychologist Dr Mihir Parekh founded the school with his wife, who serves as the principal, in 2010. Recalling that the makers were looking for students aged above 18, Parekh says, “The [makers] had certain prerequisites for children and adults — they had to have Down Syndrome, with a particular height and weight. They selected 38 of my 168 students. Some essayed the role of team members, and the rest were used as audience members who have come to watch the games. The portions with my school students were all shot in Mumbai, including Andheri and Bandra.”

Adapted from the Spanish film, Campeones (2018), Sitaare Zameen Par shows how Khan’s protagonist goes from initially being skeptical of his basketball team to realising how each of them is gifted in their own way. With basketball being a key aspect of the story, Parekh says some students were selected based on their proficiency in the game.

“Before the shoot began, there was a prep session with the students for a week. Their parents were also introduced to the makers,” adds Parekh. The students shot with the unit over a month, and were paid remuneration.

Three years after Laal Singh Chaddha (2022), Aamir Khan is gearing up to return to the big screen with Sitaare Zameen Par by May-end. We can expect another heartfelt story as the R S Prasanna-directed film, a spiritual successor to the superstar’s much loved Taare Zameen Par (2007), revolves around a group of men with intellectual disabilities who discover their self-worth through sports. While details about the film—which is a remake of the Spanish offering, Campeones (2018)—have been kept under wraps, mid-day has learnt that a special song featuring Khan and Genelia Deshmukh was shot last week in Marol.

Over a five-day schedule, Prasanna and choreographer Vijay Ganguly gave shape to the number. A source from the set reveals, “It’s a feel-good track. It’s unclear whether it will be part of the narrative. Most likely, it will be a special number attached to the credits, playing out like a montage that ties together the movie’s central themes.”

Post-production of Sitaare Zameen Par, which also stars Darsheel Safary, is nearly complete. We’ve heard that Khan is considering kicking off the promotional campaign by early May. The source adds, “The film’s subject is very close to Aamir. He is keen to build early awareness around the movie, and position it thoughtfully.”

Recently, Aamir Khan announced that Sitaare Zameen Par, which was to originally release this December, was being pushed to 2025. On Sunday, the superstar reported to the Film City set for the last portion of the R S Prasanna-directed venture. Sources tell us that it was a patch shoot.

“It was a day-long shoot that started at 2 pm and went on till night. Aamir wanted to make sure that the film was wrapped up on Sunday. With the shoot done, Sitaare Zameen Par has now reached the finish line. Aamir and Prasanna will now shift their focus to post-production, which will include extensive editing, visual effects, and sound design,” shares a source.

A spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par (2007), Sitaare Zameen Par is an official adaptation of the Spanish sports comedy, Campeones (2018), and stars Genelia Deshmukh and Darsheel Safary alongside Khan. It has been heard that the superstar is now aiming for a summer 2025 release and intends to conduct focus-group screenings in February.

The insider adds, “Aamir is known for his meticulous approach to filmmaking and often runs focus-group screenings. This process is integral to his style of fine-tuning the narrative based on the audience’s feedback. He had done it with Dangal [2016] and Secret Superstar [2017] too. The team will start working on the final edit to enable Aamir to show it to focus groups by February.”

Working with Aamir Khan can be a learning experience as well as a heartening reminder of one’s love for movies, says casting director Anmol Ahuja. As one of the founders of Casting Bay, Ahuja collaborated with Khan on Secret Superstar (2017), and now on two of his upcoming projects—Lahore 1947 led by Sunny Deol, and Sitaare Zameen Par that stars Khan and Genelia Deshmukh.

“From his company, I’ve learnt the essence of meritocracy. If you are good, you’ll make it and if you aren’t, you won’t. They cast for the character,” says the casting director.

Sitaare Zameen Par, an adaptation of Campeones (2018), is helmed by R S Prasanna. The Spanish film followed a temperamental basketball coach, who builds a team of people battling intellectual disabilities and takes them to the Special Olympics. Casting for the adaptation wasn’t easy. In Ahuja’s words, it was “heart-wrenching” as the casting team, over a year, interacted with intellectually-disabled people and realized their daily struggles.

“We were not looking for actors who could play intellectually-challenged people. We were looking for intellectually-challenged people, who could play the characters. The realistic side had to be matched with the character’s attributes. I remember one of my team members broke down after working on the project for three months. I told her that Aamir has been doing this for three years, and Prasanna, for five. Finding the right people took almost a year. We also had to convince the parents. The social trauma of these individuals can’t be put into words. When I was in Delhi University, there were no pathways for the blind. There is pain in them. We didn’t want to cast actors and ridicule their lived-in experience. They are special, but they are one of us—that’s the highlight of the story.”

After a scouting process that spanned January to December 2023, the team zeroed in on 12 individuals from across the country. For Ahuja, the blueprint was Jalsa (2022), in which he had cast Surya Kasibhatla, an actor with cerebral palsy. “I took a lot of time to find him. But that was casting for one; here, we had to find a whole team. The monetary and emotional support came from Aamir. We had to form connections with guardians and teachers of these kids. They were happy to help because they found us sensitive and empathetic.”

If 2023 had Shah Rukh Khan ending his hiatus with a bang, the year saw the other Khan, Aamir Khan, take a step back after his passion project Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) underperformed at the box office. It looks like the new year will mark new beginnings for the superstar. It is heard that Aamir will resume his place in front of the camera on January 29 as director R S Prasanna’s sports drama will go on floors.

The shoot is slated to take place in Mumbai, followed by an extensive second schedule at an outstation location. The production team is currently working at a brisk pace, engaged in pre-shoot preparations for the movie, which is the official adaptation of the Spanish offering, Campeones (2018).

A source reveals, “Prasanna has been waiting for a long time to take the film on floors. Aamir is happy with how the script has shaped up. The crew has been intimated that January 29 is the big day. Considering the story revolves around an ill-tempered coach who undergoes transformation as he builds a team comprising the intellectually-disabled, the casting is crucial. Aamir is screening the actors, with the team auditioning hundreds to get the right cast for the story.”

Even before rolling, the project has undergone several changes, from its title to its leading men. The film—the working title of which is Champions—was reportedly offered to Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar before the original choice, Aamir, came on board.

A lot is being said and speculated about Aamir Khan’s next acting project, after Laal Singh Chaddha (2022). While the buzz is that he is going to star in a Rajkumar Santoshi film, we have exclusively learnt that’s not true. Instead, the actor will headline a film called Champions — a story about human spirit, in which he plays the role of a mentor. It is being directed by R S Prasanna.

“The prep is on right now and the film will go on floors in January 2024. It is expected to release on December 20 next year. It’s going to be a story of a teacher or a coach. Champions is currently the placeholder title, which will be changed once some part of the film has been shot,” informs a source close to the development, adding, “Right now, casting is underway. Within a month or so, more names would be finalised.”

It all started in November last year when Khan had confirmed in a statement that he will be stepping down from a film called Champions and will co-produce the film under Aamir Khan Productions in collaboration with Sony Pictures. In March this year, reports surfaced that actors Salman Khan and Farhan Akhtar were in talks to star in the film and in May, reports surfaced that actor Ranbir Kapoor was reading the script. However, all that turns out to be untrue, as Khan himself is doing the film now.

“Aamir wanted to only produce this film and spend time with his family, but when he worked on the script for four to five months, it shaped up so beautifully that he decided he is going to star in it, too. Since he was already looking to go back to acting, he felt Champions would be the perfect project to make a comeback after the debacle of his much-anticipated film, Laal Singh Chaddha,” adds the source.

When we reached out to Khan’s spokesperson, they chose not to comment on the matter.

On his birthday in March, Aamir Khan indicated that he was in talks with director R S Prasanna of Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017) fame for his next. At the time, mid-day had reported that the project in question is inspired by the 2018 Spanish film, Campeones, which revolves around a temperamental basketball coach who, as part of his community service sentence, builds a team comprising the intellectually-disabled for the Special Olympics.

Now, it is learnt that things are moving at a brisk pace on the project. The production team has been instructed to prepare for a September shoot.

A source reveals, “Aamir wants to commence work on the film after the August release of Laal Singh Chaddha. Given the sports drama’s subject, it will be largely shot outdoors. The makers wanted to avoid filming in the city in the rains. So, beginning September, it will be a two-month straight shoot.”

For the first schedule, the set will be erected at Film City. Khan will also produce the project. Meanwhile, sources suggest that another production, titled Preetam Pyaare, from the superstar’s stable went on floors in Lucknow last week.

Over the past few years, Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar have carved a niche for themselves with their nuanced performances in content-driven films. The two, who first featured together in Dum Laga Ke Haisha, are teaming up for the second time with Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, which addresses the problem of performance anxiety in men and the repercussions it has on a couple and their relationship. The film's team - Ayushmann, Bhumi, director R S Prasanna and producer Aanand L Rai - recently visited the Bombay Times office and spent a few hours talking about unconventional actors and movies, and cinema that stuns the audience and stokes issues that impact our society. Excerpts...

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (SMS) addresses an important yet taboo subject about erectile dysfunction in men. How did you stumble upon such a unique idea?
Ayushmann: Director Prasanna approached me three years back for the film. The movie was originally made in Tamil and it did well. In fact, it was known as the Vicky Donor of the South when it released in 2013. For me, however, SMS was like the complete antithesis of Vicky Donor. That's what excited me about it.
Aanand: We knew that it would take at least a year-and-a-half to adapt the script to Hindi, but we shared the idea with Ayushmann. There are very few actors who try to understand the script as a whole rather than just focussing on their characters. Both Bhumi and Ayushmann take the entire script into consideration.
Ayushmann: After Vicky Donor and Dum Laga Ke Haisha, this was the third script I said 'yes' to immediately.
Bhumi: I got a call from Aanand sir one day, asking me to come for a narration. When I heard the script, I liked it because it was really funny. Then they narrated the 'biscuit girna' scene - signifying the issue of performance anxiety - and my reaction was, 'Oh my God!' I literally did a slow clap and said, 'This is gold!' After that, I couldn't stop laughing.

When you deal with a subject like performance anxiety, there is a very fine line between addressing the message while mixing it with humour and drama. How did you manage to steer clear of stereotypes?
Aanand: More than being a love story, the film intends to bridge the gap between two generations. We wanted a problem which was discussed in the bedroom to come out in the open.
Prasanna: We wanted to ensure that the entire family can watch it without feeling uncomfortable and also laugh along with us. Today's audience is far more evolved than what we give them credit for. Our grandparents' generation was also more evolved than what we think. If I don't want to talk to my father about sex education and prefer looking up on the internet, that is my problem. He clearly knows more about life than me. In fact, the Indian middle class is extremely liberal. They just need an opportunity to come together and talk about things openly.

Bhumi, you have so far only associated with films that are issue-based? Is there a thought behind it?
Bhumi: I have a lot of issues actually (laughs). The medium I have chosen is films and I am very proud that the films I have done educate people about something. It's my way of contributing to society. The themes in my films are universal and everybody can watch it.

Ayushmann, when you choose subjects like this as a leading man, do you fear that it will challenge your conventional image of an Indian male?
Ayushmann: Well, that's the message we are trying to convey through this film. My character Mudit is macho. SMS celebrates the alpha male of our country, who is suffering from performance anxiety. He, along with his partner, is trying to fight the problem. For the couple, it is them versus the family. The film draws attention to the fact that manhood is not just about 'getting it up', but standing up for various issues.
Bhumi: Ayushmann is one of the most secure people I know. You have to be very secure about your masculinity to take up a subject without even thinking about it. Ayushmann represents the qualities that we all wish a man had. I have seen him with his wife, kids, friends and me. He is genuinely a great guy.

Ayushmann, you don't shy away from picking roles which are not typically heroic to start with. Like in Dum Laga Ke Haisha, you played a character who wanted a hot and sexy wife. Many people might think of it as being shallow. Even in Bareilly Ki Barfi, your character had grey shades at one point...
Ayushmann: My wife says, since I am perfect in real life, I should choose imperfect roles on reel (laughs).
Bhumi: Your wife says you are perfect in real life? Ayushmann, love is blind! Did she really say that?
Ayushmann: I am joking (laughs), but it's good to play characters who are imperfect and real. In this film too, the couple is projected as not-so-cool or hot. We celebrate imperfections in the film. Life is all about imperfections, which, in a way, is endearing.

Almost all your films are set in a middle-class milieu. Do your choices also come from the fact that you identify with those values a lot?
Ayushmann: Seventy per cent of our nation belongs to the primary sector. Most of us live in small cities. So, what's wrong with representing them?
Bhumi: Of course, we identify with those values. The Indian value system is universal. We might not have personally gone through most of these problems, but we are aware of them and they should be spoken about for the sake of a healthier society.

Lastly, is it guts, gumption or conviction which governs your choice of roles?
Aanand: Ayushmann and Bhumi are like Vikram aur Betaal. They are intelligent actors and when you offer them a script which has an important message, they can't say 'no'. The films that they have chosen are all about concept and content.
Ayushmann: I started my career as a sperm donor, which was very radical. A lot of stars had turned it down. Back then, it was unconventional and that's the path I want to tread. All my successful films have been content-driven.
Bhumi: After Dum Laga Ke Haisha, I tasted blood. My sensibilities veer towards such films now. I basically do films that I, as an audience, would want to go and watch. The credit goes to writers and filmmakers who are attempting subjects which are different. An actor like me is surviving because of content-driven cinema.

R S Prasanna is gearing up for his Hindi directorial debut with the Ayushmann Khaurrana-Bhumi Pednekar starrer, Shubh Mangal Savdhan, a remake of his 2013 Tamil romcom Kalyana Samayal Saadham. The film revolves around Mudit and Sugandha who are heading towards an arranged marriage when it is revealed that the boy suffers from erectile dysfunction. “I've always loved films that push the envelope. After the original released, many people wrote to me admitting that their marriage was on the rocks because of this ailment,“ Prasanna says, adding, “The film asserts that love is important and the challenge of the subject excited me be cause I know it'll open up a debate.“

Prasanna met producer Aanand L Rai in Mumbai at his Tamil film's screening in 2014. “Afterwards, he gave me a hug and invited me to his office. At that point we hadn't even discussed a remake but when we started working on it, he cautioned me, saying 'Prasanna don't Bollywoodise the film'“, he says.

He assures that this story and some of the characters are different from his Tamil film. “Only the core concept and the feel remains the same. In fact, our writer Hitesh Kewalya didn't see the original until we finished shooting,“ informs Prasanna, who spent two weeks in Delhi, Rishikesh and Haridwar with Hitesh as part of their “cultural recce“.

His wife Minakshi is an army girl and has lived all over the country so he claims he's comfortable with North Indian culture. “We had a wonderful time sampling street food and trying to understand these places, people better. I was able to connect with them when I was writing,“ says Prasanna, asserting that he's familiar with Hindi as he lived in Mumbai as a child and his mother was born and brought up in Matunga.

He locked the final script in October 2016, roped in the cast by November and rolled in early 2017. So, was Ayushmann cast because he's become synonymous with the sperm donor of Shoojit Sircar's Vicky Donor? “That's the immediate afterthought but not the reason why he was cast. He has brought so much life and charm to this character though I'm aware that the audience will joke that the sperm donor has gone missing here,“ laughs Prasanna, who became a father a second time recently but refuses to talk about it.

Given the subject, is he anticipating censor problems despite the fact that we have a progressive CBFC Chairperson in Prasoon Joshi now? “I sometimes joke that ours is the cleanest film as it's about a guy who can't even have sex,“ he laughs. “On a more serious note, many lives are affected by this biological problem. But so what if you can't get it up, stand up for love.“

The last time these two came together on screen (for Dum Laga Ke Haisha), everyone thought they were an unlikely pair. But they pleasantly surprised everyone with their fresh chemistry on screen, and their performances were lapped up by the audience. An attempt was made to bring them back together on screen a year ago, but a twist in the tale pushed it on the back burner.

Now, two years since their first outing, Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar will come together again for another quirky love story. Of course, having lost oodles of weight, the leading lady is a far cry from her appearance in her first film. This one, titled Shubh Mangal Savdhan, directed by R S Prasanna, will be jointly produced by Aanand L Rai and Eros. The film will be shot in Delhi and Haridwar in a start-to finish schedule and will release in August this year. Coincidentally, the lead pair's first film was also set in Haridwar.

Aanand says, “Shubh Mangal Savdhan is a funny and layered story. These are the kind of stories I've identified with, right from the time I made Tanu Weds Manu. It is a simple narrative with an interesting bend and the reason I cast Ayushmann and Bhumi is that they fit the bill perfectly for this part. They are the sort of actors I could be friends with even if they didn't belong to the fraternity. They are simple and humble.“

Given that he loves the script so much, why is he not directing it himself? He explains, “I don't easily direct a film, but I enjoy backing films with lovable characters woven into interesting stories. I also like supporting filmmakers who can do justice to a certain kind of story.“

Aanand L Rai, who launched his film making outfit, Colour Yellow Productions in association with Eros International, had a good 2016 with the critically acclaimed Nil Battey Sannata and the family entertainer Happy Bhag Jayegi. The filmmaker is now looking forward to an equally successful journey this year as well. In fact, he is all set to begin the year on a high note, with his much-anticipated directorial with Shah Rukh Khan going on floors soon. He's also collaborating with Anurag Kashyap for two films, one of which is said to be an intense musical romance set in a small town.

As a producer, too, Rai has his hands full. He will be backing director Rahul Sankalya's Nimmo and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, a quirky romcom to be helmed by R S Prasanna.

That's not all. He will reunite with Happy Bhag Jayegi director Mudassar Aziz for another film, apart from backing NH10 director Navdeep Singh's next, which is currently in the scripting stage. Rai will also co-produce a film with Ajay Rai and Alan McAlex, who also co-produced Nil Battey Sannata. The project will be helmed by Geetu Mohandas, whose Liar's Dice was India's official entry at the 87th Academy Awards. Buzz is also that he will launch writer Himanshu Sharma as a director. He has previously penned the Tanu Weds Manu series and Raanjhanaa. Rai, who flagged off his filmmaking outfit Colour Yellow Productions in association with Eros International, says, “I'm thrilled about the versatile talent we have on board. While we have been associated with family entertainers, we also want to present a gamut of new genres to the audience. The process of scripting, casting, scouting for locations and putting the entire project together is very exciting.“

Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International, added, “We have always shared an amazing synergy with Aanand and this exciting new slate with such talented directors continues to raise the bar in our endeavor to offer good cinema.“

Aanand L Rai has always cast unusually for his films. We have now learnt that for his first production, that will be a remake of the critically acclaimed Tamil romantic comedy Kalyana Samayal Saadham, he has once again cast unusually by casting the spunky Shruti Haasan with Imran Khan. The Tamil film was directed by R S Prasanna, who will also direct the Hindi version. The film is slated to start shoot end of the year and will be released in 2016.