Hansal Mehta, the Hindi filmmaker, announced on Wednesday that his upcoming film, starring Zahaan Kapoor and Aditya Rawal, is titled Faraaz.
The filmmaker also released the first look of the film, which depicts the Holey Artisan cafe attack that shook Bangladesh in July 2016.
Helmed by Mehta, the film will be produced by filmmaker Anubhav Sinha. This will be their first-ever collaboration.
The film will feature late actor Shashi Kapoor’s grandson Zahaan Kapoor and actor Paresh Rawal’s son Aditya Rawal in the lead roles. While this project will mark Kapoor’s debut film appearance, it will be Rawal’s first theatrical release after his acting debut in the ZEE5 film Bamfaad in 2020.
Faraaz, a joint production of Anubhav Sinha and Bhushan Kumar, is an action thriller that chronicles the events that took place on the night of July 1, 2016, in Dhaka, when five young militants ravaged the upscale cafe and held over 50 people as hostages for nearly 12 hours.
Mehta said in a statement, “Faraaz is a story of deep humanity and its ultimate triumph in the face of violent adversity. While it is based on true events, it is also a deeply personal story that I’ve held close to my heart for nearly three years.”
In a statement, Sinha, who is known for films like Article 15, Mulk, and Thappad, said, “Faraaz is a human story based on one of the darkest days in modern history. It is a film that is close to our hearts. From launching new actors to getting the gaze of the film right, we have done our best to imbue this story with ingenuity while keeping it suspenseful and thrilling. It’s a film that will give the audience a deeply intimate look into what happened that night. It is as much a story of terror and loss as it is of hope and faith.”
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Mehta, who recently helmed the popular web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story and the sports drama film Chhalaang, began shooting for the film on June 28.
Besides Sinha’s Benaras Mediaworks and Kumar’s T-Series, the film is also being produced by Mahana Films’ Sakshi Bhatt, Sahil Saigal, and Mazahir Mandasaurwala.
Meanwhile, Mehta recently also announced his other directorial, Captain India, in which actor Kartik Aaryan plays a pilot. The film is produced by RSVP and Baweja Studios, and will reportedly revisit ‘one of the most successful rescue operations in Indian history’.