Casting director Honey Trehan, who has worked on films like Raees, Omkara and Talvar, was supposed to make his directorial debut with Sapna Didi starring Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone. Later, he made an exit from the project due to reported differences with filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj. Nonetheless, Honey is now all set to helm his debut project, a crime thriller, which will have Nawazuddin Siddiqui in lead.
While names of several actresses, including Taapsee Pannu, being approached for the film were doing the rounds, a report in a leading daily suggests that it will be Radhika Apte who will play the female lead in the film.
A sourced informed the daily, "The film is titled Raat Akeli Hai. It’s a crime thriller set in rural India. As it has strong content, Honey wanted a powerful actor who would complement Nawaz. He was in talks with a few actresses, but things didn’t work out. After watching Sacred Games, he felt Radhika was the perfect fit and approached her for the role. She and Nawaz share a great rapport, so the latter was instrumental in getting her on board."
If it indeed is true, the Sacred Games co-stars will once again cast their magic on the silver screen. For the uninitiated, the talented duo has done two movies — Badlapur (2014) and Manjhi: The Mountain Man (2015) earlier.
Meanwhile, the recce for the film is currently on. The report further suggested, "The team is scouting for locations in the interior parts of India. The film is likely to go on floors by the end of this year."
On the work front, Nawazuddin will next be seen Nandita Das' biographical drama Manto, which features him playing the role of Saadat Haasan Manto. He will also play the titular role in Thackeray, a biopic based on the life and times of Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray. Radhika, on the other hand, will next feature in Nikkhil Advani Baazaar, also starring Saif Ali Khan.
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