First Look: Bringing wild West to Indian screens

Thar

Anil Kapoor was certain he needed an edgy script when making his OTT debut. AK vs AK (2020), which saw the actor unite with son Harsh Varrdhan, delivered on that count, becoming one of his most fascinating projects in recent years. Two years on, Anil and his actor-son have reunited for another Netflix offering. mid-day has learnt that they have shot for a revenge noir thriller titled Thar, which marks the directorial debut of Raj Singh Choudhary. The director has also written the story, while sharing the dialogue-writing duties with Anurag Kashyap.

Shaikh plays Harsh Varrdhan's love interest

Inspired by the Western noir, Thar is apparently set in the '80s and revolves around Harsh Varrdhan's Siddharth who shifts to Pushkar for a job. On reaching the city, he embarks on a journey to avenge his past. Anil is known to be choosy about his projects, more so when they have him share screen space with his children. "But when Anil heard the script of Thar, he loved it. He felt that, after AK vs AK, it was the right story for him and Harsh Varrdhan. He sent the script to his son who instantly agreed to do it," says a trade source, adding that the senior actor also came on board as a producer. Fatima Sana Shaikh has been roped in to play Harsh Varrdhan's love interest. "The film rolled in Rajasthan last year and was shot in a start-to-finish schedule, with Raj wrapping it up by the first week of March 2021. As a producer, Anil was so happy with the film that he sent a beautiful note and gift hamper to the director after the wrap-up."

Collaborating with the OTT giant is a source of joy for Anil, who believes that the creative visions of AKFC Network and the platform are perfectly in alignment. "I am excited about the film for several reasons. The noir thriller pays tribute to the genre of the classic Western, and is a first for Indian cinema. Thar is a playground where the dynamism of new blood meets the experience of industry stalwarts. As an actor and a producer, I have strived to disrupt the status quo with innovative content. [The movie] is a manifestation of this obsession," he says.

Pratiksha Rao, director, films and licensing, Netflix India, adds, "At Netflix, we are huge fans of movies, just like our members. Bringing to them the most diverse films is not possible without taking creative swings with passionate filmmakers."