Filmmaker Kushagra Sharma opens up on Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer ‘Faraar’: ‘He was my first choice for the lead role’ |
After building a strong run with short films that were screened at international festivals, filmmaker Kushagra Sharma is now stepping into mainstream cinema with ‘Faraar’. It is his Hindi feature debut, and it shows his appetite for bigger stories. Sharma is putting together a film with a wide cast and a genre that Indian cinema has not explored in depth, while keeping the focus on emotion and ideas that travel.
Casting choices and first look reveal
According to Mid-Day, ‘Faraar’ stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead. Siddiqui plays a physics professor, a role that fits his track record of choosing unusual characters and giving them real weight. The film also brings in Hollywood actor Ilia Volok, known to many for his work in ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’.
Sharma sounds both proud and grateful when he talks about Siddiqui coming on board. “It’s a real honor to work with an actor like Nawazuddin, who has consistently proven his range with powerful performances in recent years. When I started working on this film, he was my first choice for the lead role. I feel fortunate that he said yes to the project,” he said.Sharma also credited his team for shaping up the ensemble cast. “Both my producer Shrishti and I have worked hard to bring together a cast that supports the film’s emotional and intellectual tone.”Siddiqui’s first look from the film offers a clear glimpse into the character. He is seen wearing spectacles and holding a book titled ‘Law of Physics’, seated on a couch. A blackboard covered in physics formulae fills the background, subtly drawing viewers into his academic world.
Global voice with Indian emotions
Sharma says he designed ‘Faraar’ with an international outlook. “We aimed to bring performers who could organically contribute to the world of Faraar,” he said. “Having so many accomplished actors say yes to the script has been an encouraging start to this journey.” He also spelled out what drives him as a storyteller saying, “Cinema is a collaborative art that allows cultures and emotions to converge. With ‘The Great Escape: Faraar’, my goal was to create a story that reflects Indian emotions but is told with a global voice.” Sharma describes the film as a heist thriller powered by intellect and feeling, with room for scale. Along with Siddiqui and Volok, the cast includes Nimisha Sajjan, Trisha, Parth Bhalerao, Vikram Kochhar, and Gavie Chahal. Volok has appeared in more than 170 films, TV shows, and video games, and his credits include ‘Air Force One’, ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’, and ‘Gemini Man’.
