Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is preparing to take up a much smaller project before diving into the mammoth scale of his upcoming two-part epic ‘Karna’. The filmmaker is set to collaborate with Vikrant Massey on a romantic story that is expected to be completed in just 30 days. The project comes ahead of Mehra’s ambitious collaboration with Excel Entertainment, which has Salman Khan headlining the highly anticipated ‘Karna’. The Mahabharata-inspired film is currently in the preparation stage and is expected to begin filming in August 2027.
Vikrant Massey to lead Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s next
According to a report by Bollywood Hungama, Mehra has finalised Vikrant Massey for the lead role in his next directorial venture. Unlike the filmmaker’s large-scale historical epic, this upcoming project is described as an intimate small-town love story.The report states, “Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has locked Vikrant Massey to play the lead in his next directorial, which is touted to be a small-town love story. It’s a tale he has lived with for a while, and wants to take the audience on a romantic ride with Vikrant Massey.”The film is expected to be a relatively compact production, allowing Mehra to tell a personal romantic story before he commits himself entirely to the extensive schedule and scale of ‘Karna’.
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra wants to complete love story before ‘Karna’
While Mehra focuses on the Vikrant Massey-led project, work on ‘Karna’ will reportedly continue simultaneously behind the scenes. Excel Entertainment and the technical team associated with the epic will remain engaged in its extensive pre-production process.Explaining the filmmaker’s approach, the source said, “Karna is an ambitious two-part film, whereas this one is a small story which he wants to tell before getting fully into the larger 5-year commitment,” the source tells us further.The 30-day schedule is expected to give Mehra an opportunity to complete the love story before embarking on the much longer journey involved in bringing ‘Karna’ to the big screen.
Salman Khan set to play Karna
Mehra’s major focus will eventually shift to ‘Karna’, which has been in development for nearly five years. The film is being mounted as a two-part cinematic spectacle based on the complex and conflicted character of Karna from The Mahabharata. Salman Khan has already been confirmed to portray the titular character in the Excel Entertainment production. The makers are targeting August 2027 as the start of filming, with extensive pre-production currently underway.Before stepping into the world of mythology, war and an elaborate period setting, Mehra will therefore first explore a completely different cinematic space with Vikrant Massey in his upcoming small-town romance.