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PeepingMoon Exclusive: Shefali Shah to play Alia Bhatt's mother in Shah Rukh Khan's 'Darlings'

Shah Rukh Khan's next production promises a legion of talents! Peepingmoon.com has learned that that the superstar has now got on board the beautiful, immensely talented Shefali Shah to play one of the leads in his upcoming female-led drama headlined by Alia Bhatt. Last seen as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi in Netflix's Emmy Awards nominee, Delhi Crime, Shah will be seen playing Alia's mother in this dark comedy, titled Darlings

"Shefali Shah loved the script and instantly gave her nod. She is very excited to work with her favourite Alia Bhatt for the first time and play her onscreen mother who, along with her daughter, kidnaps later's abusive husband in the film. It's a very fascinating world to explore and Shah is thrilled to be a part of it," a source familiar with the development said. The film that marks the directorial debut of Force 2 and Pati, Patni Aur Woh screenplay writer Jasmeet K Reen will go on floors in February next year in Mumbai. 

Recommended Read: PeepingMoon Exclusive: Alia Bhatt and Vijay Varma to headline Shah Rukh Khan's next production!

The comic drama revolves around a SoBo mother-daughter duo whose life turns upside down when the person they had kidnapped earlier goes missing. Gully Boy's Moeen aka Vijay Varma has been locked to play the opprobrious husband as we exclusively revealed last month. Now the Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew who made his Hindi film debut this year with Anurag Kashyap's Netflix film, Choked has also joined the cast. He is said to be playing a small but crucial part in the plot. 

Shefali Shah, unlike her industry counterparts, has been working continuously even amidst this COVID-19 lockdown. The actress donned the director's hat in September with a short film, 'Someday' about a frontline warrior battling a personal tragedy, and is currently finishing work on her second short film that's interestingly been titled Happy Birthday Mummy Ji. It's said to be a light-hearted film that focuses on a homemaker's journey of self-discovery when compelled to stay away from her family due to the pandemic. On the acting front, she's almost done with the second season of Delhi Crime and will soon start shooting for Mozez Singh's next web show set against the backdrop of the human trials for a vaccine. 

Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt is currently shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi in a local Mumbai studio. She's expected to wrap the period drama by November-end after which she will head to Hyderabad to film her extended cameo sequences in SS Rajamouli's multi-lingual Pan-India historical, RRR. Alia will then go back to Ayan Mukerji's and Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmastra to complete the remaining portions that have been hanging in the air since the lockdown in March. Darlings will be Alia's first new film to go on floors next year!

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