The parallel universes of writing and acting have rarely intersected in Bollywood. But now, a new breed of Hindi hyphenates — actors who write and writers who act, are coming into their own
Nishit Tiwari (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 23, 2018)

Talking to Hussain Dalal is like watching a stand-up routine. Every train of thought is punctuated with pauses and culminates in a punchline which, more often than not, lands where it is intended to. It wouldn’t surprise anyone who has been at the movies regularly for the last five years. Since Ayan Mukerji’s 2013 directorial, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani (YJHD), for which he wrote the dialogue, Hussain has worked in 25 films, some as an actor and others as a dialogue writer.

The 29-year-old Mazgaon boy — he describes himself and his co-writer brother Abbas as boys from streets nobody knows the names of — is an eminent member of Bollywood’s actor-writer community. While the two parallel universes have intersected more consistently through generations in Hollywood, its Bollywood journey has been woefully sporadic. The few people who come to mind are Guru Dutt, Kader Khan, Neena Gupta, Saurabh Shukla and Neeraj Vora.

However, the advent of storytelling platforms, predominantly streaming websites, and, as veteran actor-writer Saurabh Shukla puts it, the human tendency to seek newness, have given an opportunity to the Hindi hyphenates to come into their own.

Like most of his contemporaries, Hussain comes from a theatre background but he wears the duality of his aesthetic on his sleeve. “My default setting as a writer is commercial, while as an actor, my sensibilities match with art-house cinema,” he says. And the statement checks out, if you look at his work. After YJHD, he did Abhishek Varman’s directorial debut, 2 States (2014), and has reunited with Ayan on his third film, the Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer Brahmastra. Then there’s Varman’s Kalank, and Baahubali star Prabhas’s upcoming bilingual Saaho, for which he has co-written dialogues with his brother, among his upcoming projects. As an actor, he will be seen with Rajkummar Rao and Kangana Ranaut in Prakash Kovelamudi’s Mental Hai Kya, “a more story-oriented, fun film.”

“People ask me for the secret of my success but I am just trying not to be poor,” he confides, almost annoyed with the tone of the queries. “I am extremely scared of self-importance, as I have seen many talented people drown in that ocean,” he reasons. Elitism is another trigger word for him, but point out that YJHD was elitist too, and pat comes the reply, “But it was consumed by the non elite. The idea is to create content that doesn’t require 10 years of education and a degree to understand.”

Unlike Hussain, Ashrut Jain’s tryst with writing was set off by the stifling stillness of small town life in Jabalpur. “I was a good orator and used to write my own speeches. You won’t believe it, but even before Gadar came out and its dialogue, ‘Doodh maangoge toh kheer denge, Kashmir maangoge toh cheer denge,’ became famous, I had used it in an Independence Day speech,” he claims, and thus establishes early on that his patriotism fuels all his creative endeavours.

The actor in him took longer to surface. “That’s the difference exposure makes when you are born in a small town and not between Borivali and Bandra,” he notes. Ashrut discovered theatre in college and subsequently, his true calling. Afterwards, he took up a job in the casting department of Yash Raj Films. Brief turns in films like Goliyon Ki Raas Leela Ram-Leela and M S Dhoni - The Untold Story and a lead part in the 2016 dramedy, Sunshine Music Tours and Travels, followed in quick succession. But his most notable turns have come with Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk this July and Shree Narayan Singh’s Friday release, Batti Gul Meter Chalu.

He is now gearing up to make his first film as a writer, A Road Trip To Pakistan, in which he also plays the protagonist. “My first love is acting. I want the next generation to talk about me the way we talk about Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Ranbir Kapoor,” he asserts with wide-eyed optimism. What happens to writing, then? “I still write and have two scripts ready. Besides, I approach writing as either a creative outlet or a tool to become a better actor,” he says.

Amitosh Nagpal, a 33-year-old National School of Drama alumnus from Hisar, Haryana, tells people that he is ‘an actor who writes, not a writer who acts.’ “But I am writing more than I am acting,” he laughs.

After making a name for himself in Delhi theatre circles as an actor, he came to Mumbai in 2006 to do films. Instead, he ended up making ad jingles and wrote, directed and acted in plays before he landed a break as lyricist in Dibakar Banerjee’s National Award-winning dark comedy, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (2008). He’d delivered two of the year’s biggest earworms, Superchor and Jugni, with the former even earning him a National Award nomination. “The songs were written in an hour or two,” he recalls, and is low-key dismissive of praise for producing something in a very short span of time. “It’s amusing when people give gyaan and cite rulebooks instead of just getting down to work,” he shrugs.

Brief roles in Dabangg, Aarakshan and Besharam, among others, haven’t done enough to satisfy the actor in him and Amitosh, whose most well-known work now is as an actor and translator of a widely-travelled and well regarded play called Piya Behrupiya, is ready to take matters into his own hands. “I have written the dialogue for Amole Gupte’s Saina Nehwal biopic and a film called Aadhar for Drishyam Films. Now, I have four scripts ready and I will play the lead in all of them,” he states.

Zeishan Quadri (left) who shot to fame as the actor-writer of Gangs Of Wasseypur, had come to Mumbai to become an actor. But Anurag Kashyap pointed out that he had all the makings of a good writer. Soon enough, an eight-page concept note turned into a 200-page ‘upanyas’ (novel), and subsequently led to the two films, in which Zeishan, who is now 35, played the character of Definite with quiet intensity.

“Going by the praise I received for my character, I figured I’d be inundated with acting offers. But the industry accepted me more as a writer,” he says, the reason being that “there are more actors in Maximum City than writers.” Quadri is now foraying into the romcom genre. “My stories usually start with a pistol but in this one, it will start with a rose,” he says. The film in question is one of the most anticipated films of next year, but Zeishan is tight-lipped about the details. On the acting front, he says that he has accepted a role in a new film to be directed by Ashwini Chaudhary, whose Dhoop he had loved.

At 47, Manu Rishi Chadha is of a different vintage, but his sensibilities are as contemporary as they come. Born and brought up in Chandni Chowk, he was raised by a Punjabi mother who hailed from Bihar and subscribed to the Hindi magazine, Dharma Yug, which was then edited by renowned author Dharamvir Bharti. “My subconscious mind was crammed with anecdotes, stories and the way they were narrated. My old Delhi upbringing taught me a lot without taking a fee,” he philosophises.

“When I arrived in Mumbai, I didn’t get dialogues to speak, I got them to write. It was fun because an actor lives a character but when I am writing dialogue, it is for an entire set of them,” Incidentally, Manurishi wrote the dialogue for Oye Lucky... and played Abhay Deol’s friend in the film....

More recently he wrote Nanu Ki Jaanu, and is making sure to get as much writing in as he can. “I act when I can, comfortably, as writing is priority. I feel a responsibility towards it. Besides, professional writing is all about meeting the deadline. I probably don’t get acting offers because I don’t have a good rapport with casting directors,” he chuckles, adding that in Mumbai, his friends Piyush Mishra and Deepak Dobriyal encouraged him to write.

Why is this tribe finding a footing in the Hindi film industry now? Saurabh Shukla, who featured in and served as a screenwriter on Satya (1999), Ram Gopal Varma’s most seminal work in the gangster-drama genre, among others, quotes French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. “The more things change, the more they stay the same. Every generation gets sad, happy, gets into fights and falls in love. The difference is, a young couple probably fights over the internet now. That said, our quest for newness has brought us to the realm of realism.”

Avinash Lohana & Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 14, 2016)

After returning to the Kahaani franchise with the second instalment, Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, the makers have set the ball rolling for a third instalment.

“I had a meeting with Sujoy who is currently in the process of writing the script. Like the previous films this will be a thriller too, but with a different twist,” informs producer Jayantilal Gada. Will Vidya feature in the third part too? “We’ll think about the artist once the script is locked,” adds the filmmaker.

Meanwhile, Vidya who will start shooting for the Kamala Das biopic soon is busy with the prep. “I read her autobiography, she intrigued me. I’m still wondering if she was who she’s made out to be, pretending to be her or misunderstood, hoping to get some answers at some point during the film,” the actress had earlier told Mirror (November 5).

Meanwhile, after a favourable response to the first two Gangs of Wasseypur films, script of the third film in the franchise, Gangs Of Wasseypur 1.5, is ready with the film set to go on the floors next year. While the earlier instalments featured Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi and Richa Chadha in pivotal roles, Zeishan Quadri who played the role of Definite Khan in the film and had penned the story for the earlier films will be directing this one.

“I have been working on the script for a year now but part three has to be bigger and better than the earlier films so I’ve taken my time to get it right. Things are in place now and I’m waiting for the final approval from Anurag Kashyap, who is currently abroad. We will finalise the last details when he’s back and are looking at going on the floors early next year. Of course, the setting remains similar but there are some interesting twists in 1.5,” Zeishan told Mirror.

Now seems to be the best time for budding scriptwriters to make their mark in Bollywood. For, entrepreneurs and film studios are ready to nourish content-driven projects
Anirban Das (MID-DAY; October 18, 2015)

In Bollywood, stars have always taken centrestage, holding more importance than directors, producers, scriptwriters and sometimes, even the film. Many have slammed this ‘star system’, alleging that it relegates meaningful cinema to the background.

However, things are slowly changing and today, each is slowly earning their place in the sun. This is especially true for writers.

No longer just another name on the title card, they are being recognised as the backbone of new-generation films. So much so, that many greenhouses have come up with the sole purpose of nurturing scripts and script writers.

Utpal Acharya, former country head of a renowned production house, has now founded his own studio to give young writers a platform to sell and develop their scripts. Called Indian Film Studios, it aims not only at backing new writers, but also developing ideas into full- ledged scripts.

Says Acharya, “Several writers are not able to pitch their stories or scripts to the right production house. Many a time, they also find it difficult to sell their stories to a production house, which have a set formula to buy scripts. They do not know how to reach out to established producers. So, I came up with the idea of offering them a platform to help them develop their concepts into films.”

The studio started operations in November last year and receives four to five stories on a daily basis. “We will begin work on a film by the end of this year; two more will follow soon after. Our studio has tied up with a few investors who want to encourage content- driven cinema,” he adds.

Mass acceptance
Kunal Kapoor, who has been part of films like Rang De Basanti (2006), Don 2 (2011) and Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana (2012) to name a few, has now initiated a process to encourage and support new-age film writers. He had started his company, Ketto, to work on social causes, but now he has spread its reach to include “creative causes” as well. He believes there is a huge talent pool as far as film writing goes. “I see a lot of potential in today’s writers who hail from diverse backgrounds. But, it becomes a challenge for them to find someone who will finance their project without laying down a clause. They still look for commercial viability. Ketto aims to discover good writers and help them get their films released,” says the lanky actor.

While it is still early days for a just-launched production house to back multiple projects, Kunal feels crowdfunding can become the key. “Today, a large section of moviegoers have easy access to social networking sites or digital platforms. We host our ideas online and those interested can provide funds,” he explains.

It seems established production houses are also realising the demand for original ideas. Zeishan Quadri, the writer of Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012), was lucky to have earned the support of Anurag Kashyap-led Phantom Films. After finding a toehold in tinseltown, Quadri tried his hand at direction. His debut directorial venture, Meeruthiya Gangsters released last month and garnered positive reviews. Says Quadri, “The industry is opening up for new writers. Number of films, which have fetched a good response by critics as well as the audience in the past few years, are script-driven. A new writer should not only reach the right producer, but also find a director who will do justice to the script. If a writer finds a good director, it becomes easier to get producers.”

Karan Anshuman, a film critic, who wrote and directed Bangistan for Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s production house. “Today, big production houses have understood that apart from star-driven films, those based on real concepts can also make an impact at the box office.”

Several big and small production houses are now scouting for new writers, says Utpal and adds: “Some of them are planning to create a separate division to promote new writers and ideas. Films sans stars also have a market now.”

Since there have been instances where writers were unhappy with their pay or denied due credit, what should budding writers watch out for while dealing with big-ticket studios?

Karan says, “They should be clear about the credit and money while pitching a script. A confident writer should not sell a script at a throwaway price. Also, in this industry, film studios never say no. One should not wait indefinitely for a studio to respond; they should approach other producers.”

Although, the industry seems to be opening up to new ideas and young talent, but it has a long way to go, feels renowned writer Anjum Rajabali. “Scripts have certainly become important. However, rarely have I seen a production house or studio being able to confirm a project merely on the merit of the script. They still look for commercial viability,” he rues.

The veteran writer mentions that a dialogue between producers and writers will take the industry to newer heights.

“Change will not take place by itself. It will happen when there is a dialogue between producers and writers, something that we are trying to encourage. We are trying to negotiate that writers get fair royalty and credit for their work. It will encourage good content and fair business,” Rajabali says.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 8, 2015)


Bombay Velvet is history, and Anurag Kashyap has now asked Zeishan Quadri to collaborate with him on the Gangs of Wasseypur franchise.

Zeishan had scripted the two-part original film, unveiled in May, 2012 at the Cannes Film Festival as a five-hour long feature. In India, it released in two parts, in June and August 2012. Zeishan, who was seen as Definite Khan, Sardar Khan's son from his second wife Durga, in Part 2, has started scripting Part 3.

The 31 year-old writer-director-actor is overwhelmed: "It's great when your mentor appreciates your work. I am what I am today because of Anurag sir's guidance and encouragement. And I will start work on Gangs Of Wasseypur 3, soon."

Anurag admits he sees a reflection of himself in Zeishan. "The zeal and passion of my early days, I now see in him. He has a vivid thought process," he asserts.

The film will release next year and Anurag is keen that Zeishan direct the film. "He's eager to learn and keeps reinventing and discovering ideas. In spite of not having any cinematic education, Zeishan has lots of courage. He has an incredible drive, which is four times mine," admits Anurag.

In a pre-dawn swoop on the FTII campus, police arrested five students on charges of rioting and holding the institute director hostage in his office for nearly six hours. Bollywood folk react to the snowballing controversy...
Shaheen Parkar & Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; August 20, 2015)

Ever since Gajendra Chauhan, best remembered for his role as Yudhisthir in the mythological television series Mahabharat (1988–90), was appointed chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), the country's premier film school has been embroiled in a controversy that is thickening by the day.

In a crackdown late on Tuesday night, police entered the FTII campus and took five students into custody on charges of rioting and unlawful assembly. An FIR was filed against 15 other students. Police action followed a complaint from the institute's director, Prashant Pathrabe, who was gheraoed by the students on Monday evening for resolving to go ahead with the assessment of diploma projects made by the striking students of 2008 batch.

The arrest came hours after news trickled in about Information and Broadcasting ministry officials visiting the institute soon to resolve the ongoing imbroglio. By yesterday evening, the students were granted bail. hitlist speaks to a few Bollywood folk about the latest crisis engulfing the FTII...


Subhash Ghai, Filmmaker and FTII alumnus
It is sad that the whole thing is turning ugly. The government must take immediate steps for the well-being of FTII. After all, the institute has produced the best talent in Indian cinema. FTII is, and will always remain, my mother school in cinema.


Nikhil Advani, Filmmaker
It is extremely tragic that students are not being able to protest peacefully for what is pretty obvious to everyone — a justified demand. On my part, I completely support the students as I feel arts and culture should be devoid of any kind of politics.


Onir, Filmmaker
That the police had to come to the campus is a shame. If as a teacher, you honestly care for students, then you will never call the police to resolve an issue. It is not that the students turned violent. They are getting cornered in every way. It is ridiculous that the government is considering it as an ego issue. It has been more than two months that the institute has not been functioning. The students are suffering and the government doesn't care. If I were in Gajendra Chauhan's place, I would have resigned out of shame. How can you be the head of an institute where nobody wants you? We are a democratic country and have elected representatives, so how can he be so insensitive? The problems need to solved, but the major issue is: Who is going to head the institute? Who is going to treat the students with love and protect them? Who is to care for their future, instead of sending them to jail? The students are observing democratic way of protest which we adopted during the independence struggle. It is non-violent. They did not deserve to be arrested; they are getting frustrated. Students have always been important to shape the nation's future. All political parties have students' wing and now they are saying they should not get influenced by political parties. I am not saying they may have not made a mistake, but sabotage is not the solution.


Irrfan Khan, Actor
The FTII is a creative place where minds are nurtured and where there is food for thought. There should be discipline, but along with that freedom of expression must exist too. A creative mind needs freedom to grow and nurture. The system should protect a beautiful institute like the FTII and not restrict anyone.


Zeishan Quadri, Writer-filmmaker
Arresting students is not an answer to the questions of these FTIIans. It is the right of these students to raise their voice if the faculty of their institution is not up to the mark. They need an answer to this and justice has been denied to them.


Umesh Kulkarni, Marathi film director and FTII alumnus
I condemn the arrest. The government is ignoring the entire issue and they have definitely taken a wrong step. The strike was the right way to mark their protest. All of a sudden when the officials decided to do the assessment of the 2008 batch, students had the right to ask questions to the persons concerned. They were pushed to the brink, but the allegations they have made while arresting the students is wrong. For the past two months, they have not abused or hit anyone. They have called artistes to register their protest. It is democratic. All they were doing is ask logical questions. They have victimised a few students to end the protest forcibly.


Hansal Mehta, Filmmaker
They are trying to assert authority through force. The matter could have been solved between the students and the institute, but it has escalated. I know the students have committed some mistakes and there is no denying it, but at the end of the day, treat them like students and not political prisoners. Without understanding the situation, they are just following diktats to silence the students. I stand by them although I don't necessarily agree with the way they are protesting. I am against the idea of involving politicians like Rahul Gandhi thinking that it will take them anywhere. They should not politicise the matter. At the same time, you need to give them some benefit of doubt since they are students.


Vivek Agnihotri, Filmmaker
I have always been against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, but that doesn't mean the students should get involved in politics. I am also against politicians like Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi and Yogendra Yadav hijacking the issue. The students damaged government property. How can you form a human chain around the institute's director? It is wrong. The students are being instigated by politicians with an agenda. All political parties are thinking about scoring brownie points; they don't feel for the students. Arvind Kejriwal had no business to invite students to Delhi and say that he will give them space to hold classes. It is unfair to say that the government is not doing anything when a student delegation will be meeting the officials today. We always like to believe that the bigger party is at fault. They should sit down and have a dialogue. If you want Gajendra to be ousted, convince the government that the appointment is wrong. Ultimately, things will turn violent, like the way it has now happened. Politics should end first. It is wrong to say that they were pushed to the edge — every criminal will use that excuse to justify his acts. People are only talking to students and asking for their point of view. They have become a victim of politics and the government is also doing politics — both parties have a lot to answer.

THE FTII ISSUE IN A NUTSHELL

June 9: Gajendra Chauhan is appointed as chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) governing council

June 12: Questioning his “creative credentials” and body of work, students launch an indefinite strike; few board members quit shortly after the surprise appointment. Students perceive as the BJP government’s attempt to “saffronise” the campus; support pours in from FTII alumni and renowed film personalities

June 13: All India Students’ Association, Kolkata-based Satyajit Ray Film Institute and students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, pledge support to the striking
students

June 15: Chauhan urges students to give him “just one chance” to prove himself. Controversy thickens with the choice of a reconstituted FTII panel where half of the eight members are “RSS propagandists”

June 24: Controversial Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani sides with Chauhan, says “nobody has questioned why Congress nominees are on board or part of the panel”

June 28: Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley appeals to students to resume classes

July 16: FTII director J Narain warns students of administrative action if they don’t resume classes

July 24: Policemen deployed on FTII campus

July 31: Rahul Gandhi meets 250 FTII students in Pune, states government is “systematically promoting mediocrity”

August 2: RTI reveals industry stalwarts like Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Rajkumar Hirani, Ramesh Sippy, Jaya Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Anupam Kher, etc were considered for chairman’s post, but Gajendra’s one-para CV got him the job

August 3: FTII students hold protests outside Jantar Mantar, New Delhi; invited to meet I&B officials for a dialogue for the first time since the strike

August 19: In a pre-dawn crackdown, police arrest five students from the campus on charges of rioting after they gheraoed FTII director Prashant Pathrabe, protesting against the assessment of the incomplete diploma projects; Govt forms three-member team headed by SM Khan, Registrar of Newspapers for India, to assess ground situation

Omung Kumar will start shooting the film in October and plans to send it to Cannes next year; his producer-partner Zeishan Quadri says it was premature of Hansal to announce himself as director
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 8, 2015)

In an interview to Mirror (April 16), just before he flew off to Europe and the US for a vacation, Hansal Mehta had admitted that his biopic on mountaineer Bachendri Pal with Kangana Ranaut was not happening. "I came across a better story and took it to Kangana who agreed instantly to act in it," he informed, acknowledging that he was talking about the Sarabjit Singh biopic. "We roll in the first week of October."

Now, Mirror has learnt that while the film will kick off on schedule, it will not be helmed by the National Award winning director of Shahid but by Omung Kumar who last Sunday received the National Award for Best Popular Film of 2013 for his directorial debut, Mary Kom.

Omung confirmed the news, saying, "Yes, I will be directing and co-producing Sarabjit. Even Though I have three scripts lined up, this will be my next film after Mary Kom."

Earlier Mirror (October 9, 2013) had reported that Subhash Ghai had roped in Sonakshi Sinha to play Sarabjit's sister, Dalbir, for a film on Sarabjit being produced by his banner, Mukta Arts. It was scripted by Rajesh Beri four years ago and ad filmmaker Ishwar Singh Muchla was to roll with it in early 2014. The project was subsequently shelved by the banner.

However, when Rajesh Nair, COO of Mukta Arts, joined Zeishan's production house, he mentioned Sarabjit to him. And last year, Zeishan bought the rights from Beri and Ghai and got Nair involved with the creative.

"We approached several directors besides Hansal but had not signed anyone. It was premature of Hansal to make an announcement. We finalised Omung last Tuesday. He's the perfect choice because Mary Kom was both a critically acclaimed film and a commercial success," asserts Zeishan.

Hansal who's in Paris, was shocked by the news and reacted to it saying, "Am out of the country. Have no idea where this came from."

When asked if he could still make the film with another producer, Zeishan retorted, "No, the rights are with us. We also have an NOC from Sarabjit's sister and the family. The film will go on floors in the first week of October with a start-to-finish 60-day schedule. It will be shot in and around Punjab. We want to send it to Cannes and release it by the end of May 2016."

Though the film is Sarabjit's story, it will be told through the eyes of his sister, Dalbir Kaur, who after he was convicted of terrorism and spying by the Pakistani court and sentenced to death in 1991, started a campaign for his release. Thanks to her efforts and that of the Indian government, Sarabjit's execution was indefinitely delayed. But he was attacked on April 26, 2013 in the Central Jail Lahore and on May 1, was declared brain dead. The following day, he was reported to have died at 12.45 am, and his body was flown back to India where a second autopsy revealed that his vital organs were missing and his skull was broken into two.

Will Kangana still play Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur? "We'd love to work with Kangana," says Zeishan. "I've seen her on the sets of Revolver Rani, she gives everything she has to a role. But we have not yet finalised any actor so far which is why I wouldn't want to make a premature announcement."

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; November 10, 2014)

After a successful battle against cancer, actress Manisha Koirala seems ready to face the camera again. According to sources, she might be seen in a new television show as the protagonist.

Says the source, “Of late, Manisha has been going through a lot of scripts and has liked some of them. She was recently approached for a tele-serial. Since she loved its script, everyone’s hoping that she accepts the offer.”

A source involved with the upcoming show confirmed the reports. “We did approach Manisha for our new TV show which is being written by Zeishan Quadri of Gangs of Wasseypur fame. She has liked our story and now we are waiting for her nod,” the source adds.

Back in 2000, the actress had had a brief stint with television when she hosted a reality game. Sources close to Manisha said that she will soon make an official announcement about the projects that she has taken up.

Manisha’s manager said he was not aware of any project having been offered to the actress.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 26, 2014)

Shadab Kamal, who got rave reviews for his debut performance in Ajay Bahl's award winning noir drama B.A. Pass, will now be seen in Zeishan Quadri's Meeruthiya Gangsters. Quadri is best known as the writer of Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur and for playing Definite in the part two of the crime saga.

The actor is playing a small-time crook in a gang of five. The film is being currently shot in Noida.

Confirming the same, Shadab told Mirror, "After B.A. Pass, I was getting the same kind of roles so I waited for the right script to come by."

He believes Meeruthiya Gangsters will help him position himself as a versatile actor. "We're nearly done with the Noida shoot and will move to Mumbai for the next schedule," he informed.