Actor Darsheel Safary, who won acclaim with his debut performance in Taare Zameen Par (2007), has signed a psychological thriller, Tibba. Produced by Content Engineers and Dancing Shiva Films, the movie will be directed by Gaurav Khati.

While Tibba is now under production, Safary has been signed on by them for two more films that are in the development stage.

Utpaal Acharya, CEO, Content Engineers, says, “The film industry needs young talent and Darsheel fits the bill! We are happy to have signed him for two more films that will showcase different shades of him in different genres.”

Ritesh Kudecha of Dancing Shiva Films adds, “Tibba has an intriguing story and Gaurav, as a director, is a talent to watch out for. We are happy that Darsheel came on board to play the protagonist. He is a wonderful actor, and we are hopeful of making a film that will be path-breaking in the psychological thriller genre.”

All set to make his film debut as an adult, Safary says, “I was waiting for the right script for a while, and I believe that Tibba will help satiate the creative hunger within me. I am happy that the team of Content Engineers and Dancing Shiva Films are open to exploring out-of-the-box stories. These disruptive ideas will excite youth and families, all across the globe.”

The film is produced by Dr Raj Khaware, Pranay Chokshi, Saurabh Varma, Anuya Chauhan Kudecha, Utpaal Acharya and Ritesh Kudecha. The two production houses also intend to invest energies in NFT and the Metaverse, targeting youth and Gen Z from across the world.

Actor Darsheel Safary, who won the hearts of many through his portrayal of Ishaan Awasthi in Taare Zameen Par (2007), is set to return to films after a decade-long hiatus. “I mentioned to my dad that I want to enjoy college, because my school life breezed through. I have been shooting since the fourth standard. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy shooting, but I was greedy about college. I wanted to experience college life,” the 25-year-old explains the reason for his break, adding, “I was missing shooting every single day.”

Safary’s last big stint was a dance reality show and he was also seen in Midnight’s Children (2012). He will be next seen in a whodunit, Tibba. He will be seen sharing the screen with actors Adah Sharma and Sonali Kulkarni. He has also shot for another movie, Mukt, where he plays a guy with mental health issues.

While he started his career with actor Aamir Khan and could have approached him for a film, Safary didn’t feel like taking the “shortcut”.

He adds, “I would feel shy to ask him for work. I feel those are like shortcuts. I always feel you should earn what you are working for. It’s not that I want to take a long cut, but a learning cut.”

Interestingly, his first film also dealt with mental health issues and one of his next projects is around the same subject. “I want to do stuff that is in line with Taare Zameen Par, showcasing important aspects and emotions. I don’t want to break any image. This is what I have done and I am proud of it. (Now) Let it stay for however long it wants. The idea is to try new things,” the actor concludes.