A striking new casting pairing is coming together at a moment when Hindi cinema is actively betting on fresher faces and bolder filmmakers. Box Office Worldwide has learned that Abhay Varma and Zahan Kapoor are coming on board Dilkashi, a romantic drama to be directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and produced by Hansal Mehta.
With Pellissery’s singular filmmaking sensibility and Mehta’s actor driven storytelling instincts, Dilkashi instantly becomes one of the most exciting new titles in the works, especially now that the film has locked its two male leads.
The Latest Update On Dilkashi
Box Office Worldwide has exclusively learned that Abhay Varma and Zahan Kapoor will star in Dilkashi, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and produced by Hansal Mehta.
The film is being mounted as a collaboration between Mehta’s True Story Films and Pellissery’s Amen Movie Monastery. Film is currently being shot in Mumbai. A new female lead will make her debut opposite young actors.
While plot details are being kept under wraps for now, the story has been described by the makers as a lyrical exploration of love, longing, and the fragile complexities of human connection. Casting buzz around the project had been active for months, and with Varma and Kapoor now locked, the film’s on paper package looks firmly in place.
A production start date and release plan are yet to be officially announced.
What Dilkashi Signals For Lijo Jose Pellissery And Hansal Mehta
Pellissery has built a formidable reputation for genre bending narratives and immersive worlds, and Dilkashi is positioned as his major Hindi language leap as director. For Mehta, the project continues a run of backing distinctive voices and performance heavy material through True Story Films.
A R Rahman’s involvement also adds a major sonic identity to the film. True Story Films’ partner Sahil Saigal has previously said, “To bring together Lijo Jose Pellissery and A R Rahman for this film feels nothing short of momentous,” underlining the scale of the collaboration.
About Lijo Jose Pellissery
Lijo Jose Pellissery (born 18 September 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. His best known works include Amen (2013), Angamaly Diaries (2017), Ee.Ma.Yau. (2018), Jallikattu (2019), Churuli (2021), and Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2023).
Abhay Varma’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Abhay Varma broke out with the 2024 horror comedy Munjya, where his turn as Bittu became a genuine pop culture moment. Before that, he appeared in the 2019 theatrical film Super 30, and he has also been associated with Safed.
On the pipeline, Varma is set to headline Netflix’s war series Operation Safed Sagar, inspired by the 1999 Kargil War, which is scheduled to stream in 2026, with Siddharth and Jimmy Shergill among the ensemble.
Zahan Kapoor’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Zahan Kapoor made his feature debut with Faraaz (2022) and followed it up with a significant leap as the lead of Netflix’s prison drama series Black Warrant, which released in January 2025. He then starred in Prime Video’s coming of age musical series Bandwaale, which released on February 13, 2026.
With Dilkashi, Kapoor now makes a clear move into a marquee feature film space, teaming up with Varma for a director led project that is likely to be closely watched as it develops.
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