EXCLUSIVE: Shah Rukh Khan’s production, Darlings, with Alia Bhatt set to go on floors, announcement this week

Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt collaborated for the first time on Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi, which proved to be success on both critical and commercial front. And now, SRK is set to reunite with Alia Bhatt on a quirky mother daughter story, Darlings, this time, in the capacity of a producer. According to a source, the entire film is developed by Red Chillies and was narrated to Alia sometime back. “She loved it and instantly came on board the film,” a source shared.

Darlings marks the directorial debut of Jasmeet K Reen, who has worked as an Associate Director and Chief Assistant director on multiple films and previously written films like Force 2, Fanney Khan and Pati Patni Aur Woh. The film rides on a formidable ensemble fronted by Alia, with actors like Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew on board. It is said to be a quirky story about an endearing mother – daughter duo, played by Alia and Shefali, who are navigating through crazy circumstances in life. “It’s set in Mumbai against the backdrop of a middle-class family and traces the lives of two women, as they find courage and love in exceptional circumstances,” the source added.

An official announcement of the film is expected this week and according to the source, Darlings will go on the floors as early as the first quarter of 2021. “In-fact, the movie is gearing up for a release this year itself. The pre-production work is going on full swing, and the team is all ready to take it on floors very soon in Mumbai.”

It’s set in Mumbai against the backdrop of a middle-class family and traces the lives of two women, as they find courage and love in exceptional circumstances

- A Source

Apart from Darlings, SRK’s production team is working on multiple films on the production front, with Love Hostel featuring Bobby Deol, Vikrant Massey and Sanya Malhotra all set to go on floors, and Bob Biswas with Abhishek Bachchan in the post-production stage. The movie is gearing up for a Summer 2021 opening. There are multiple other subjects that are on the verge of being green lit, including SRK’s next acting stint, which is expected to go on the floors after the YRF production, Pathan.

Shah Rukh Khan is currently shooting for Pathan, which features him the lead as an agent with Deepika Padukone too joining him on the mission. John Abraham on the other hand plays the antagonist of Pathan. The follow up to Pathan for the superstar is expected to be Rajkumar Hirani’s upcoming social comedy.

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