Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has locked a quick creative stop before stepping into one of the biggest films on his slate. While the filmmaker continues preparations for Karna with Salman Khan, he is also moving ahead with a much smaller, intimate feature led by Vikrant Massey.
Box Office Worldwide has exclusively learned that Mehra will direct Massey in a love story before shifting full focus to Karna. The move is striking for its contrast, placing a compact romantic drama ahead of a sprawling mythological epic that already carries major curiosity because of Salman Khan’s casting in the title role.
Vikrant Massey To Lead Mehra’s Interim Feature
The new film is a small-town love story with Vikrant Massey in the lead. It is planned as a quick shoot and will be wrapped in around 30 days, allowing Mehra to complete a personal, character-driven film before committing to the scale and length of Karna.
That contrast defines the timing of the project. Mehra has lived with this romantic story for a while and is now putting it into motion before entering the long production cycle required for Karna. With the larger film demanding extensive pre-production, this Vikrant Massey starrer gives the director a chance to complete another feature while the groundwork on the epic continues.
Salman Khan’s Karna Remains The Bigger Long-Term Play
The bigger development on Mehra’s slate remains Karna, with Salman Khan locked to play the titular role. The film is backed by Excel Entertainment and is being mounted as an ambitious two-part epic. Current plans place the shoot in August 2027, giving the team a long runway for creative and technical preparation.
That schedule also explains the placement of the Vikrant Massey film. A project mounted on the scale of Karna demands an extended development phase, and this love story fits neatly into that window without altering Mehra’s larger priorities.
Vikrant Massey’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Vikrant Massey has remained one of the busiest performers across theatrical and OTT releases in recent years. His biggest turning point in this phase came with 12th Fail in 2023, a film that firmly strengthened his standing as a lead actor. In 2024, he featured in Blackout, which premiered on JioHotstar, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba on Netflix, Sector 36 on Netflix, and the theatrical release The Sabarmati Report.
In 2025, he starred in Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan. His broader line-up also includes Musafir Cafe, White, and O’ Romeo. With Mehra now setting up this romantic feature before Karna, Massey adds another distinct filmmaker-led project to an already packed slate.
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