Peepingmoon.com exclusively revealed in November that Janhvi Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur will star in Angrezi Medium director Homi Adajania’s next crime thriller, tentatively titled Murder Mubarak. Fans and stakeholders were all excited to see this fresh pairing on screen; however, things turned upside down when both actors opted out of the film. Janhvi left the Dinesh Vijan production as her dates clashed with her Pan-India film with Jr. NTR, while Aditya decided to prioritize Anurag Basu’s Metro...in Dino over Homi’s film. The makers have been approaching other actors since then, and many names have surfaced in the media in the meantime. But now, it seems they have finally finalized the leads for this project.
Peepingmoon.com has exclusively learned that Sara Ali Khan and Vijay Varma have been signed in to headline Homi Adajania’s Murder Mubarak. Both actors have come aboard to play the roles that were previously intended for Janhvi Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur. Sources say Sara and Vijay were locked in soon after the previous supposed actors dropped out. Contrary to rumours, Arjun Kapoor was never considered for the male lead, as the director and producers always wanted Vijay Varma opposite Sara. Pankaj Tripathi and Dimple Kapadia are still part of this film, while the casting for other supporting characters is still underway. The film is said to be an ensemble cast drama and will be made along the lines of the Hollywood thriller, Knives Out.
Murder Mubarak is based on Anuja Chauhan’s bestselling novel, Club You to Death. It’s a gripping whodunit thriller set in the fictional world of the elitist, antique, and most respected Delhi Turf Club (DTC) and follows the lives of two ex-lovers as they help ACP Bhavani Singh crack a murder case that takes place within the club’s premises. Sara and Vijay will play the ex-lovers with a lot of history and resentment and no proper closure, while Pankaj Tripathi is said to be playing a genius, garrulous, well-mannered 50-year-old cop, ACP Bhavani Singh. Dimple Kapadia's character details are unknown at this time, but we believe she will play a powerful role similar to those she has played in previous Homi Adajania films.
Sara Ali Khan and Vijay Varma’s casting makes for a fresh pairing, and they are believed to have tongue-in-cheek chemistry in the film. Vijay, who has already established himself as one of the most sought-after actors with his impeccable performance in films and series like Pink, Gully Boy, She, Mirzapur, and Darlings, will be seen playing the role of a hottie lawyer, while Sara’s character is that of a wealthy girl-about-town. The director Homi Adajania has already begun the pre-production and will kick off shooting sometime in April 2023. This film marks Vijay’s first association with Maddock Films, while it's Sara's third project after Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal (2020) and Laxman Utekar’s upcoming yet-untitled rom-com with Vicky Kaushal, set to release in the second quarter of this year.
Sara and Vijay will head to Murder Mubarak after finishing up their prior commitments. Sara is currently shooting for Anurag Basu’s Metro… In Dino with Aditya Roy Kapur and will then resume Jagan Shakti’s Mission Eagle with Tiger Shroff. She also has some portions left in Dharmatic Entertainment’s Amazon Prime film, Ae Watan… Mere Watan, which she will complete before diving into Murder Mubarak. Apart from these, she also has two films ready for release this year, which include Pawan Kripalani’s Gaslight with Vikrant Massey and Chitrangda Singh; and Laxman Utekar’s film with Vicky Kaushal. On the other hand, Vijay Varma also has two films and three web series scheduled to come out this year. He will be seen alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat in Sujoy Ghosh’s The Devotion of Suspect X and opposite Tamannah Bhatia in the same director’s segment for Lust Stories season 2. On the series front, he has Dahaad and Mirzapur 3 with Amazon Prime Video and an untitled crime thriller series directed by Sumit Saxena.
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