Almost a year ago, Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi teased the audience with the first look of their reunion project. Since then, we’ve heard nothing more on the subject. Separate from their Munna Bhai and Circuit characters, Jail, directed by Siddhant Sachdev, is a slice-of-life comedy produced and co-written by Dutt.

“There are a lot of expectations from the Sanjay Dutt-Arshad Warsi combination after they established themselves as a hit pair in Rajkumar Hirani’s Munna Bhai franchise. Sanjay is particular about the story. The team has to be careful that it doesn’t [remind the audience] of the Munna Bhai characters,” informed a source close to the project, adding that Jail is the story of two commoners who find themselves in a precarious situation and struggle to get out of it.

Dutt began conceptualizing the story of Jail on the set of the horror comedy The Virgin Tree, which hits theatres this year. He then requested Sachdev to work on the core idea, ensuring that it looked distinct from Warsi and his previous characters. “The screenplay written by Siddhant is fantastic, [after all], he is a fan of Hirani,” the source said, adding that the film will go on floors in 2025, after Dutt and Warsi have wrapped up their prior commitments.

Sachdev informs that Jail got pushed to accommodate the shoot of The Virgin Tree, also co-produced by Dutt. “When we made the announcement, we were still writing the script; and though the pandemic was almost over, we still got affected by the last stages of it. The film industry had slowed down a bit. While I had to complete the shoot of The Virgin Tree, Sanju sir and Arshad sir had other commitments to fulfil. Jail is now in the pipeline. Once The Virgin Tree’s VFX is complete, we will begin work on Jail, including on the final writing of it,” shares the writer-director.

After working with Dutt, Sachdev is all praise for the actor. “Sanju sir has been hands-on with the writing. We had over 50 sessions on it. He is a fantastic storyteller—his ideas and nuances [pointed out] are extremely good. We have decided that even if it takes time, we have to make a good film.”

Action, drama, romance, comedy— name any genre, and Sanjay Dutt has explored it in his 43-year career. A horror comedy though has been starkly missing from his filmography. The Virgin Tree, his next co-production, fills that gap. While the project was announced in late 2022, we now hear that it’s being readied for an August release.

The actor, who has been relishing his antagonist roles in south movies of late, will switch gears and play a ghostbuster in the movie. Producer Deepak Mukut shares, “Apart from being a horror-comedy, the film is a musical too. The genre of horror is doing well today. Sanjay plays a ghostbuster, and his character has lots of gadgets that he uses to hunt down spirits. The story revolves around a mysterious tree with supernatural forces.”

With debutant director Sidhaant Sachdev at the helm, the film stars Mouni Roy and Palak Tiwari. Mukut reveals that Dutt brought the story to him.

“When I approached Sanju for a music video a few years back, he narrated the story to me and asked whether we could collaborate on it. We then finalized the script, cast and director. Sidhaant was an associate of Vikram Bhatt, who is an expert in the horror genre.”  

While The Virgin Tree is the working title, the producer says the team arrived at the name, owing to its pun. “The ‘vir’ refers to vardaan, which is a blessing in Hindi. The ‘gin’ [is a play on] djinn. So, it is actually The Var-djinn Tree, but we are planning to change the English title. We want something massy.”

There has been a lot of curiosity around Palak Tiwari, actress Shweta Tiwari’s daughter, who has chosen to take a slightly different route for her Bollywood launch. The 22-year-old is making her debut soon with the ensemble film — Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (headlined by Salman Khan) and will follow it up with The Virgin Tree (starring Sanjay Dutt). She agrees that it’s not a leading part, but when you get to share screen space with massive stars like Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt at the start of your career, it’s a rare opportunity you can’t turn down.

Ask her if she ever feared getting lost amidst other established names in the ensemble pro-jects, and she says, “I think the whole purpose of an ensemble, when done and executed correctly, is that nobody gets lost. I feel both films and their stories are being executed with that belief,” she replies, adding, “With the kind of people I am working with, my aim is not to compete for screen space, but to learn and absorb. I have just been a sponge on the set. The one thing that you can learn from Salman sir and Sanjay sir is that when somebody has to shine, they can do it even when there are thousands of people on screen.”

Palak says, “Salman sir told me I don’t need to worry about the number of people on screen, but how I do my job because that is what will make a difference to a scene.”

The budding actress goes on to add that she feels extreme gratitude for having got this chance to learn from Salman and Sanjay. “I feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude for being able to work with such bonafide superstars at such an early stage. They have so much in common – it’s not just about themselves; they give so much to a scene. They go out of their way to make everybody comfortable. They also stand behind the camera to give the cue to other actors. If there is anything that I have learnt from them, apart from their passion for the craft, it’s how they are so kind towards everybody on the set.”

Palak, who came into the spotlight with the video of the single Bijlee Bijlee, where she featured with Harrdy Sandhu, says she’s in no hurry to take up quintessential films or a solo-heroine project. She elaborates, “I have my whole career ahead of me to do that – be it a solo-heroine project or a romantic film. These are opportunities that will come my way all the time. However, I won’t get a chance to work with Salman sir or Sanjay sir every time. So, I dropped everything and grabbed the chance.”

Instead of worrying about the competition she will face from her contemporaries making their debut or waiting in the wings for their launch, the debutante believes this is a great time in cinema for new talent to thrive.

She says, “I don’t think of them as adversaries or contemporaries. Call me delusional, but I think this is such a beautiful time in the industry when the careers of so many people are prospering, and so many dreams are coming true. It’s like a cycle, and we are truly in such a beautiful place in this cycle as the whole industry resets with the new generation of newcomers. I feel thrilled to be a part of this boom of newcomers in the industry. There is no competition from my end whatsoever.”

What about matters of the heart? Palak has often been spotted hanging out with Saif Ali Khan’s son, Ibrahim, sparking linkup rumours. So, are the two seeing each other? “Shooting for two films has kept me very busy and content in life. It’s my sole focus, and it is an important year for me,” she says, dismissing the rumours.

“I don’t pay heed to these rumours as it is a part of the profession that I am in. I’d rather focus on my work. While love can never be calculated or predicted, at this stage, work is in first gear for me. Professionally, it’s a crucial time, so I am focusing my energies on that,” she shares.