Indian thespian Nawazuddin Siddiqui is attached to lead “Kabootar,” the debut feature from writer-director Ishan Sharma, produced by Nikhil Chaudhary of MDC Filmworks.
The film is structured as a co-production between MDC Filmworks in India, Haiku Films in France, and Rein Film in Norway, with Rohit Saxena serving as co-producer on the Indian side. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in Delhi in early 2027.
Set against the crumbling architecture of Old Delhi, “Kabootar” centers on Mehboob, a street detective who secretly reads letters written to a Djinn in search of prospective clients. His path crosses with Naoko, a Japanese tourist carrying the weight of a painful past, and Ruby, a young child searching for his parents.
Siddiqui is among the most decorated actors of his generation in Indian cinema. He has appeared in Anurag Kashyap’s “Gangs of Wasseypur,” Ritesh Batra’s “The Lunchbox,” and Nandita Das’s “Manto” – all of which debuted in Cannes – and starred in Netflix’s hit thriller series “Sacred Games.” He received an International Emmy nomination for his lead role in Netflix film “Serious Men.”
Chaudhary said: “Nawaz is an actor of extraordinary range. He can be dangerous in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and heartbreakingly gentle in ‘The Lunchbox.’ He’s also one of the few Indian actors with a real international presence. His films have gone to Cannes multiple times, and he has been nominated for an International Emmy. For an India-France-Norway co-production, that matters enormously in taking ‘Kabootar’ to audiences around the world. Just as important, he knows Delhi intimately. For Ishan and I, this film is a love letter to the city, and we needed an actor who could understand it, feel it and embody it. He does all three.”
Sharma, who developed the script through the production and storytelling Workshop at the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes – formerly known as the Produire au Sud Workshop – added: “Nawaz has been an invisible collaborator to a generation of young writers and directors, myself included. We write with his performances in our minds. From ‘Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa’ to ‘The Lunchbox,’ I’ve always admired the intensity and love he brings to a character, and his rare ability to move between hope and despair, light and dark, without losing either. ‘Kabootar’ asks something of him that audiences haven’t seen before. To have him take that leap with us is a gift. I can’t wait to build this world with him.”
The project has been selected for a series of international market showcases, including the Tasveer Film Market in Seattle, Film Bazaar in Goa – organized by India’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) – and the NFDC lineup at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin. Later this month, Chaudhary will pitch the film in the APN+ Track of the Asian Producers Network in Singapore.
Casting director Dilip Shankar, whose credits include “Life of Pi” and “Monsoon Wedding,” said: “Nawazuddin will bring Mehboob’s eccentric humor, emotional depth and quiet vulnerability to life with rare authenticity. The character demands mischief, rage, tenderness and grace. With his rooted presence and remarkable nuance, Nawazuddin embodies Mehboob’s essential contradictions. His performance anchors ‘Kabootar’ in the lived-in, poignant texture of Old Delhi.”
Sharma is a graduate of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute. His short films “The God of Panic Street” (2019) and “A Season of Mangoes” (2022) have played international festivals and collected several awards, including the Cinema Experimenta Award.
MDC Filmworks has previously produced five films, among them Sanjoy Nag’s “Yours Truly,” which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival, and Rajat Kapoor’s dark comedy “Kadakh,” which premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it won best screenplay. Haiku Films, founded by Thomas Jaeger, Antoine Delahousse, and Claire Trinquet, produced “Fi” (Grand Prize, San Sebastián 2022) and co-produced “Treasure” (Berlinale 2024). Rein Film, founded by Mathis Ståle Mathisen and Aleksander Olai Korsnes, is known for “My Fathers’ Daughter” (Toronto 2024).
Key crew includes cinematographer Udit Khurana (“Bayaan,” “Ghaath”), sound designer Sethu Venugopal (“Mother,” “Nocturnal Burger”), and casting director Shankar.
“Kabootar” was curated by CineV, Nina Lath Gupta’s platform connecting projects with financiers and investors.