Saif Ali Khan to star in Anushka Sharma’s next production?

After foraying into film production with Navdeep Singh’s 2015 gritty slasher-thriller ‘NH10,’ Anushka Sharma announced that she and her brother, Karnesh, would kick off 2016 with three more productions with new talent and content-driven scripts.

The first project, Anshai Lal’s directorial debut, ‘Phillauri,’ is a comedy-drama featuring the 27-year-old actress-producer alongside Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma, and debutante actress Mehreen Pirzada. The romcom went on floors in Punjab on April 19. Anushka’s second project reunites her with Navdeep for another thriller, which is set to roll later this year. Now, the third production, which will be helmed by Delhi Belly writer, Akshat Verma, and has been in the pipeline for over two years, has found its male lead in Saif Ali Khan. The actor will be seen in a quirky avatar in the comedy.

“Saif’s impeccable comic timing landed him the role. He was in fine form in the dark comedy, ‘Being Cyrus,’ and will be seen in a completely new avatar for Akshat’s project too. It is a unique film, one that demands an actor of Saif’s calibre,” a source close to the development informed.

The team is assembling the rest of the cast and is in the process of finalising a studio. “Anushka is heading a production house for the sheer love of films and to cater to the need for better content-driven projects.She will not be acting in all of her productions due to other commitments and the fact that she does not intend to be the face of every film. As a producer, the actress is focussing on bringing the best talents into the limelight,” reveals a source close to the actress.

Anushka is currently filming Ali Abbas Zafar’s wrestling-drama opposite Salman Khan, which is set to release this year.