Anil Sharma is mounting Arjun Naga on a far bigger canvas than a routine period drama. The filmmaker has now confirmed that the project, set against Dubai’s defining oil boom of the 1960s, is being developed as a four-part film series. The latest casting move has added fresh weight to that ambition, with Randeep Hooda and Celina Jaitly joining a film that already has Utkarsh Sharma in the title role and Arjun Rampal as the antagonist.
Anil Sharma Confirms Four-Part Plan
Sharma has positioned Arjun Naga as a long-form cinematic saga rooted in one of Dubai’s most transformative historical moments. Confirming the scale of the project, he said, “Arjun Naga is about Dubai’s oil rush in the 1960s. We are making the film in four parts, and it will have 10-12 top actors in pivotal roles spread across these instalments. The title will change with each part. We will shoot in Mumbai, Rajasthan, other parts of India, Dubai, and other international cities.”
The first instalment is currently being shot in Film City, Mumbai, with filming planned across Rajasthan, Dubai and other international locations as the series expands.
A Fictional Rise During Dubai’s Turning Point
The film is set in the early 1960s, before the 1966 discovery of oil in Dubai’s Fateh field altered the emirate’s future. Against that backdrop, Arjun Naga follows a fictional character who rises from extreme poverty to enormous wealth as the region’s economic destiny shifts.
That setting gives Sharma room to build a story driven by class, power and survival, while also leaning into the sweeping, old-school scale that has marked some of his biggest directorial outings. Instead of treating Dubai’s oil boom as mere backdrop, the film appears to weave its personal drama directly into a moment that changed the city forever.
Why This Casting Update Matters
The addition of Randeep Hooda and Celina Jaitly sharpens the film’s commercial and dramatic pull at a crucial stage. Hooda brings a brooding screen presence that suits high-stakes period conflict, while Jaitly’s inclusion adds curiosity around how Sharma is shaping the ensemble across multiple instalments. With Arjun Rampal already onboard in a negative role, the casting signals that Arjun Naga is being built as a star-driven saga rather than a single-hero historical drama.
There is also a clear sense of scale in the way the film is being assembled. A four-part structure, multiple shooting locations and a line-up of known faces suggest Sharma is aiming for an expansive narrative that unfolds over time, not just in spectacle but in shifting character equations. That makes this latest round of additions more than a routine cast announcement. It underlines the filmmaker’s intention to turn Arjun Naga into a sprawling franchise rooted in period drama, ambition and reinvention.
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