‘Kabootar’: Nawazuddin Siddiqui to star as Delhi street detective

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is attached to star as Mehboob, a street detective who reads letters addressed to a Djinn, in writer-director Ishan Sharma’s debut feature “Kabootar,” according to a Variety exclusive published October 16, 2026.

The India-France-Norway co-production is backed by MDC Filmworks, Haiku Films and Rein Film, with Nikhil Chaudhary producing and Rohit Saxena as co-producer on the Indian side.

Principal photography is slated to begin in Delhi in early 2027.

Sharma, a graduate of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, previously directed the shorts “The God of Panic Street” (2019) and “A Season of Mangoes” (2022). Key crew includes cinematographer Udit Khurana, sound designer Sethu Venugopal and casting director Dilip Shankar.

The project has been selected for Tasveer Film Market, Film Bazaar, NFDC European Film Market and APN+ Track in Singapore.