After multiple attempts to team up on a feature film over the last 2 decades, Shah Rukh Khan is finally teaming up with Rajkumar Hirani on a social comedy. The duo are all to start shooting for this film by Summer 2022 with multiple schedules spread over a period of 8 to 9 months. While the prep work is going on in full swing, Pinkvilla has exclusively learnt that the makers are in talks with Vicky Kaushal to play an important role in this immigration story.

“Right from Munnabhai MBBS, Rajkumar Hirani films have always had special roles which warrant the casting of a known face - be it Jimmy Shergill in Munnabhai franchise, Sanjay Dutt and Sushant Singh Rajput in PK or Vicky Kaushal in Sanju. And now, Raju Hirani is in advanced talks with Vicky Kaushal to play an important role in his next alongside Shah Rukh Khan,” revealed a source close to the development, adding further that a couple of other actors too are being considered however Vicky is in the forefront to bag this role.

“Vicky and Rajkumar Hirani bonded well on the sets of Sanju, and hence its obvious for the director to repeat the casting. The dates, timelines and other aspects are being worked upon at the moment. Only once everything falls in place, the actor would officially come on board the project,” the source added. Taapsee too is almost confirmed to play the female lead in Rajkumar Hirani’s film, ditto for Boman Irani.

Shah Rukh Khan has clocked a master plan for shooting in 2022. The actor will be juggling between Rajkumar Hirani’s social comedy and Atlee’s action entertainer from summer. While the Hirani film will be shot in Mumbai, where Punjab will be recreated, followed by London and Budapest. Atlee’s entertainer on the other hand is majorly set in Mumbai and Pune. The Atlee film will apparently be shot between the schedule breaks of Hirani films, as the ace filmmaker often prefers to work on the edit after having completed a schedule of shoot. He would be shooting for around 100 days for the Hirani film, However, these are all tentative plans since a final shoot schedule for SRK will be locked once Pathan shoot is wrapped up. “Right now, all the energies are in there to chalk out the dates for final leg of Pathan shoot,” the source signed off.

While Pathan is expected to release by Christmas this year, Hirani and Atlee films are poised for a mid and late 2023 opening. However, it all depends on how the COVID-19 scenario plays through the year.

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