Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bhumi Pednekar cast in Sudhir Mishra's Afwaah

Director Sudhir Mishra has cast Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bhumi Pednekar in his next project, Afwaah. The film will be produced by Anubhav Sinha's Benaras Media Works and T-Series. 

Speaking to The Bombay Times, a supplement of The Times of India newspaper, Sinha said, "Afwaah is a novel story rooted in the heartland of India. I am very excited to have this powerhouse of talent lead it. Once we locked Nawaz and Bhumi, we knew we had found the actors who’ll take the material off the page and create magic with it.”

Mishra previously worked with Nawazuddin Siddiqui on the Emmy-nominated Netflix film Serious Men (2020). Afwaah will mark the filmmaker's first collaboration with Pednekar on a project. 

Speaking about the film, Mishra was quoted in the report as saying, "It’s a story I have lived with for a long time. I have worked each day to make it quirky and twisted. The handling of the film would be adventurous with an experimental tonality, but beneath all of it lies a crucial message that I want my viewers to take back home with them. When I was casting for the movie, I knew it had to be unique. After Serious Men, it was only natural that Nawaz and I got together again for another story. The way the character is written, I knew only Nawaz could pull it off, and this will be, I promise you, a new Nawaz. It was Sinha who suggested Bhumi. She brings immense passion to her stories and is such a fine actor. They both are such powerhouse performers, and together they bring fresh chemistry. I can’t wait to be on set with them." 

In November 2021, Sinha and the filmmaker had announced a relationship drama around COVID-19, involving international talent. The filmmakers had launched a talent search for the Indo-US production.

For now, Afwaah seems to be the next project to be helmed by this partnership. The film will also be backed by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series. 

Bhumi Pednekar's Badhaai Do (2022) was released last week and is being screened in theatres. Siddiqui began shooting for Navaniat Singh's Noorani Chehra, alongside Nupur Sanon on Valentine's Day 2022.