Sidharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna to star in espionage thriller Mission Majnu

Sidharth Malhotra has been paired with actress Rashmika Mandanna in RSVP Movies' espionage thriller Mission Majnu (2021). Inspired by events from the 1970s, the film will tell the story of Indian agents whose covert activities in the heart of Pakistan forever changed the relationship between the two nations.

Producer Ronnie Screwvala will co-produce the feature with Guilty By Association’s Amar Butala and Garima Mehta. The film marks the Hindi debut of Mandanna as well as the directorial debut of award-winning ad filmmaker Shantanu Bagchi.

The spy thriller, which sees Malhotra play a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent, is written by Parveez Shaikh, Aseem Arrora and Sumit Batheja. Butala and Mehta researched the incident for over three years and worked closely with the writers to bring it to the big screen.

The first look poster of the film shows Malhotra casually strolling away from a bombed-out venue with burning cars and debris in the background.

Screwvala said the film will focus on one of the most daring and audacious operations in the history of RAW. “There are thousands of heroes who work behind the scenes to safeguard the interests of our country from other terror units and rogue nations. Their work often goes unnoticed and Mission Majnu is an attempt to bring their sacrifices and efforts to the forefront,” he said.

Malhotra, last seen in Marjaavaan (2019), shared his excitement about the role. “Mission Majnu is a patriotic tale inspired by true events that celebrates the hard work of RAW agents who go out of their way to protect the citizens of our country. It is a privilege to tell the story of our brave agents, and I am eager to revisit a mission that forever changed the relationship between India and Pakistan,” he said.

Mandanna said that she was excited to reach out to a whole new audience with her Hindi debut. “As an actor, it is always the story of the film that I connect with, and the language of the film is never a barrier for me,” she shared. “I am grateful to the makers for offering me Mission Majnu which is written beautifully, and I am super excited to be part of a team that has so much passion. We are all working together to make it even more amazing.”

Bagchi commented that it was the script of Mission Majnu that appealed to him first. “It is a rare and fresh story set in a genre that audiences are very excited to watch,” he explained. “The more I read about that era, whether it be about the ordinary citizens, the politics or the military — the more I was drawn into this world of espionage, and this mission.

Mission Majnu will go on the floors from February 2021.