After Thugs of Hindostan, Amitabh Bachchan to start shooting for THIS film in Nagpur
Nagraj Manjule and Amitabh Bachchan.PR Handout

After the release of Thugs of Hindostan on November 8, 2018, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan will immediately begin a 45-day shooting schedule for his new film. Produced by Bhushan Kumar of T-Series, the film is called Jhund and is the Hindi directorial debut of Nagraj Manjule, the director of Marathi blockbuster Sairat.

Amitabh Bachchan will also be free from the ongoing quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati 10 (KBC 10) by then, which he hosts on a daily basis. The schedule of Jhund starting November 2018 will be a non-stop one for about 80 days in Orange City Nagpur, out of which Amitabh Bachchan will be present for 45 days.

In Jhund, Amitabh Bachchan reportedly plays a professor who motivates street kids to build a soccer team. Jhund is based on the life of Vijay Barse, the founder of slum soccer, and Bachchan will play him in the film. What's interesting is that real street kids have been cast in Jhund and have been trained to act in the film.

T-Series tweeted, "Superstar @SrBachchan to start shooting for #Jhund this November in Nagpur. Helmed by Sairat director, @NagrajManjule. Produced by @itsBhushanKumar, #SavitaRajHiremath & @Nagrajmanjule. #TaandavFilmsEntertainmentLtd @aatpaat".

The shoot is being held in Nagpur because it is a story based in the city. Director Nagraj Manjule said in a statement, "I chose the city of Nagpur because the story is based there. I wanted the look and feel to be as authentic as possible and Nagpur has its own unique charm, feel and locales, different from Mumbai and Pune. The language of the film would be best showcased in Nagpur hence I chose the lanes of that city."

"Working with Mr Bachchan on a story like this is a dream come true. He has always been my favourite legends and there was nobody other than him who fit the role perfectly and to do justice to this particular character. In fact, the other people in the film are all new and since I have been known to work with fresh talent, I think the combination of Mr Bachchan with this young team will be something to watch out for!" said Manjule about directing the superstar.

Jhund is produced by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series, Savita Raj Hiremath, Taandav Films Entertainment Ltd, and Aatpaat Production, and by director Nagraj Manjule under the banner of T-Series Films.

Meanwhile, the trailer of Thugs of Hindostan will be released by Yash Raj Films on September 27 at an IMAX theatre in Mumbai. The movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Lloyd Owen in the lead.

Watch this space for more on Thugs of Hindostan and Jhund.