awad Khan is set to make his return to Bollywood in a movie with Ridhi Dogra, multiple Indian news outlets have reported.
A source told the Hindustan Times that Khan and Dogra will be cast in a romantic comedy and that the supporting actors are yet to be cast. “The paperwork was only recently completed and the duo have been cast as romantic interests. The director’s name is still kept under wraps,” the insider revealed.
According to the publication, the project’s shooting will commence at the end of this year and the filmmakers plan to release the movie at the end of next year or the beginning of 2026.
The movie will reportedly be filmed in several locations including New York and London as it matches the theme of the movie, however, no scenes will be shot in India, a source confirmed to PinkVilla.
Earlier this year, news about Khan starring alongside Vaani Kapoor surfaced with sources confirming to Filmfare that the film would go into production soon. However, not much else was revealed about the project. News18 and other Indian outlets also reported that the Humsafar actor has two Bollywood projects in the pipeline, the second being an appearance in Kartik Aaryan’s highly-anticipated comedy horror film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, which is set to release in November.
Khan’s last Bollywood appearance was in Karan Johar’s 2016 romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma.
In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, the Barzakh actor shared that he is very much in contact with Karan Johar and the Kapoor family. “I’m in touch on and off. We talk on chat and on the phone, so I’ve been in touch and I have enjoyed a very good relationship with the Kapoor family and there is still a lot of love and respect even with Karan and Shakun [Batra].”
Khan said that he and members of the Bollywood fraternity made plans to meet and spoke on and off. “We’re still very cordial and still very friendly and there’s no love lost.”
Last year, in a landmark decision, the Bombay High Court dismissed a petition seeking a ban on Indian citizens, companies, and associations from engaging Pakistani artists. According to Dawn, a division bench firmly stated that the petition represents a “retrograde step in promoting cultural harmony, unity, and peace, and has no merit in it.”
After the high court’s dismissal, the petitioner approached the Indian Supreme Court which also rejected the plea and advised the petitioner against being narrow-minded on the issue, Scroll reported.
Khan’s potential return to Bollywood is especially significant because in 2019 the All Indian Cine Workers Association announced a total ban on Pakistani actors and artists in India following the Pulwama attacks. Prior to this, in 2016, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association “banned” Pakistani actors, singers and technicians from working in India due to friction between the two countries.
