From Gangs of Wasseypur and Manjhi: The Mountain Man to Raat Akeli Hai, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Tigmanshu Dhulia have crossed paths in Hindi cinema for more than a decade. However, their association has largely been as fellow actors rather than as an actor-director duo. That long-pending collaboration is finally happening, as Bollywood Hungama has exclusively learned that Dhulia is set to direct Siddiqui in a musical thriller.
The film is based on veteran poet and author Uday Prakash’s short story Woh Phir Kabhi Dikha Nahi. Details of the plot have been kept under wraps, but sources indicate that the story is set against the backdrop of a slum in Delhi. Shooting has reportedly already been completed, and the film is expected to release on a streaming platform by the end of this year.
The film will mark Siddiqui’s second project rooted in slum life. Previously, he starred in Sudhir Mishra’s Serious Men (2020), in which he played a sharp-witted slum dweller living in Mumbai who, tormented by his underprivileged status, invents an outrageous story that his 10-year-old son is a mathematical genius and child prodigy. In contrast, Woh Phir Kabhi Dikha Nahi is believed to be more of a dramatic thriller with musical undertones.
Last seen in Netflix India’s Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is currently shooting for Sohum Shah’s highly anticipated folk horror Tumbbad 2. He will next feature in Zee Studios’ Blind Bahu, a dark comedy directed by Ravi Varma, the stunt director of Raees and Gadar 2. Siddiqui also headlines JioHotstar’s adaptation of the American medical drama series House, which is set to premiere later this year.
Meanwhile, Tigmanshu Dhulia is awaiting the release of Ghamasaan, which premieres on ZEE 5 on September 11. The crime thriller, starring Arshad Warsi and Pratik Gandhi, is inspired by the life and times of dreaded dacoit Dadua and brings Dhulia back to the world of dacoits following the late Irrfan Khan-starrer Paan Singh Tomar (2012). Also starring Rajpal Yadav and Ishita Dutta and written by Piiyush Singh and Ram Yash Singh, the film marks Dhulia’s return to direction after six years.
Also Read: Alia Bhatt begins Tumbbad 2 shoot, joins Sohum Shah and Nawazuddin Siddiqui
