There’s something about an Anubhav Sinha film that makes everyone sit up and take notice. With his sharp sense of stories, the filmmaker brand of conscientious cinema has over the years remolded the purpose of cinema. What started with the crackling Mulk starring Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu – a layered tale of Islamophobia, soon became a cinema movement of sorts where Sinha discussed caste hierarchy in Article 15 and everyday misogyny in the much raved about Thappad. His next directorial Anek, starring Ayushmann Khurrana is currently in post-production and is set in the North East. While the work moves on the edit, Sinha has already nosedived into his next. The socio-political drama titled Bheed will be headlined by Rajkummar Rao. The film marks Sinha’s reunion with Bhushan Kumar after the success of Thappad. Bheed will be the second outing from Sinha and T-Series’ multi-film deal.

Sinha tells us, “Bheed is one of those titles that the whole team jumps at the moment you propose it. To me, casting was crucial. Raj is a very intriguing actor. He is one of the very few actors who can be so successfully transparent in a story. There always was a keen desire to work with him and I am looking forward to it.”

The subject, much like the filmmaker’s previous works, is an everyday issue that often gets brushed under the carpet. The story demands ease of performance and Sinha found Rajkummar the right fit. The socio-political drama will be shot across Lucknow, where Sinha recently conducted an elaborate recce.

The film is expected to go on floors soon as the unit continues extensive pre-production.