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Filmmaker Mira Nair recently announced her next project – A Suitable Boy based on the 1993 novel by author Vikram Seth.

With actress Tabu playing the role of Saeeda Bai, a courtesan and musician, this will be the duo’s third collaboration.

Mira Nair and Tabu (Photo by Bryce Duffy/Corbis via Getty Images)

Talking about zeroing on the project, Nair spoke at an event earlier this year:

“I love this book so much. [Writer] Andrew Davies has delivered a wonderful script…We’ve cast the most amazing 110 extraordinary actors in India. I like to say, ‘It’s crown and brown’. It’s not been easy. It’s the first South-Asian epic on mainstream BBC television.”

A Suitable Boy will be a six-hour miniseries, set in post-partition India following the story of four families and arrangements made to find a suitor for a young girl. It is slated to go on floors in September 2019, covering locations in Lucknow, Maheshwar and other part of Northern India.

Speaking of the miniseries, though she’s not allowed to reveal much, Tabu shared her excitement said,

Coming together with Mira after The Namesake is a thing of great joy for me. And to collaborate with her and the BBC for Vikram Seth’s book is something I’m so looking forward to… [Mira] is a force of nature, and it’s wonderful to collaborate with someone of her calibre, credibility, aesthetics, awareness and integrity.”

The BBC series will also star actor Ishaan Khatter and introduce a fresh face, Tanya Maniktala, as the lead Lata Mehra.

Actor Dhanush who was last seen in the 2018 English-French adventure comedy The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is ready to make his comeback to Bollywood.

The actor’s last Hindi film was in 2015, Shamitabh with co-star Amitabh Bachchan.

Announcing his next collaboration with director Aanand L. Rai, the Raanjhanaa actor said,

“Yes, I will be teaming up with Aanand L. Rai in some time, but other than that, I am waiting for the right script to come my way. I am doing a Hindi film and there will be announcement about the same pretty soon.”

The actor-director duo will be reuniting after the 2013 hit Raanjhanaa, which earned the actor several awards including Filmfare and Iifa for ‘Best Debut (Male).’  

Further details about the project are to be expected to be announced soon. 

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Actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub has found his niche as a “best-friend” to heroes in Bollywood films, but he certainly has more to offer.

The Zero actor has recently been seen in Article 15 alongside actor Ayushmann Khurrana, Zeeshan opened about the quality of work in the Indian film industry. In an interview, he said,

“Firstly, not a lot of interesting projects are being made at the moment. So, I think it’s better to give myself some time. I plan to revive my theatre, it’s been two years now. Life achi bitana is the target, naa ki rat race mei ghusna hai”

Still from Article 15

Speaking of professional standards and norms followed in the industry, he expressed his concerns about filmmakers who make false promises, claiming to give “special mention” to actors in the “credits.”

He further elaborated on his choices for films and roles,

“Though I choose films in which I have a character that is substantial and creates an impact on the main narrative, most of the time our characters get chopped in the middle of shooting. That is why there are times when our on-screen characters look like props. So when people said that the scenario is changing (for actors like me), at times I question, ‘Are they, really?’… I get less author-backed roles.”

Zeeshan is a trained theatr actor from the National School of Drama, Delhi. He moved to Mumbai few years ago to pursue his dreams on acting in cinema.

He will be seen next in director Hansal Mehta’s Turram Khan¸ a social comedy co-starring actors Rajkummar Rao and Nushrat Bharucha.

[THIS STORY HAS BEEN SOURCED FROM ANOTHER PUBLICATION. POPCORN PIXEL ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ITS AUTHENTICITY AND DATA OF THE TEXT, AND RESERVES SOLE RIGHT TO ALTER OR DELETE THE CONTENT IN ITS DISCRETION, WITHOUT NOTICE].