Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, in association with the global streaming giant Netflix recently announced Emraan Hashmi as the leading man in their first-ever collaboration, Bard of Blood. The web-series based on the bestselling 2015 book of the same name by Bilal Siddiqui will see Emraan taking on the role of Kabir Anand, an expelled spy who's called back into action from his new life as a Shakespeare professor to save his country and former love.
To bring Bilal Siddiqui's much-loved book to life as an eight-episode high-octane political espionage thriller series, filmmaker Kanu Behl has been roped in to helm it. Behl who garnered recognition in Indian cinema as a director with critically acclaimed independent feature film Titli will direct this multilingual Netflix series.
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Kanu Behl[/caption]
However, just like Netflix's first Indian show Sacred Games which was jointly directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, this series will also be helmed by two filmmakers. While Kanu Behl is already on board, the makers are currently in talks with Tarun Mansukhani of Dostana (2008) fame to also direct few episodes.
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Tarun Mansukhani[/caption]
Bard of Blood marks the first collaboration between Netflix and Red Chillies Entertainment under their last year's output deal for library and future feature films. Set against the backdrop of the Indian subcontinent, the series promises to present Hashmi with deadly combat skills and intellectual background that propels him to avenge the past and face deadliest enemies in a race against time. It will feature never-seen-before intricate and highly stylized action sequences. The web-series is scheduled to go on floors in September this year and release early 2019.
Confirming his first foray into the digital space, Emraan Hashmi said in a statement, “Three years after launching Bilal’s The Bard Of Blood, I will play the protagonist - Kabir Anand. That’s destiny. I am really excited to be a part of this new form of storytelling where content has no boundaries and the world is your audience. It will be a thrilling, edge-of-the-seat experience that will challenge me as an actor to bring out my best."
