Director Anees Bazmee and Ajay Devgn are basking in the praise of their recently released Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again respectively. Amid the buzz of the two big-ticket releases, they have their long pending shelved movie titled Naam releasing in theaters after 16 years. The Anees Bazmee directorial will finally see the light of day on November 22, 2024, after it was put on the back burner post the death of the producer Dinesh Patel before the post-production was completed. Anil Roongta who came on board as a producer in 2020 opened up on the financial challenges. 

While, Ajay Devgn has roared back with Singham Again and Anees Bazmee has returned with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 moviegoers are eager to revisit their work from 16 years ago with the release of Naam. Touted to be a psychological thriller the film was initially named Benaam and was later changed to Naam. Shot in 2006 in Switzerland, the film was initially supposed to be released in 2008. Anil Roongta recently revealed that he came on board in 2020 after Dinesh Patel’s daughter and wife approached him to complete it.

Reflecting on the challenges he faced in producing the film, he said, “We got the required permissions and addressed the financial issues. But then, the pandemic hit, and the film got delayed further. When film business resumed, the market was still [dwindling]. We decided to go ahead only when the time was right.” 

In 2022, Anees Bazmee shared that he was aiming to release Naam and spoke about bringing a film to theaters after so many years. He expressed confidence that "some stories remain relevant even after 25 years."

According to the source, “It is Ajay who always kept a tab on the film. He has never forgotten that it was Dinesh Patel who launched him in Phool Aur Kaante (1991). In the past few years, he has also allotted time from his busy schedule to complete the post-production work.” Alongside Ajay Devgn, Naam also stars Sameera Reddy in the leading role. However, if reports are to be believed, Priyanka Chopra was first approached for the female role but due to date issues she turned down the offer and Reddy came on board.