Following collaborations with Mission: Impossible actor Ilia Volok and Money Heist musician Iván Lacámara, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has now joined forces with National Award-winning actors Parth Bhalerao and Teesha Thosar for director Kushagra Sharma’s upcoming film, The Great Escape Faraar.
HT City had earlier exclusively revealed that Ilia will play the antagonist in the film, for which Iván has composed the background score. We have now learned that the musician has also composed his first Hindi song for the project.
We have further learnt that the film stars three National Award-winning actors—Nawazuddin (2012), Parth (Killa, 2015), and Teesha Naal)—alongside critically acclaimed actor Nimisha Sajayan, best known for Poachers (2024), Dabba Cartel, and the Malayalam film Chithha.
Speaking exclusively to HT City, director Kushagra Sharma said, “The youngest National Award winner, Teesha, is playing Nawazuddin’s daughter, while Parth is playing the student of his character—a Physics teacher. Both have done wonderful work in the Marathi industry.”
He adds, “Nimisha plays his wife. She has done some amazing work in Malayalam cinema and has won multiple awards. So, it’s always a win-win to have such cross-collaborations with regional as well as international stars in a project.”
Kushagra also revealed that the team has roped in Thai action director Kecha Khamphakdee, known for big-ticket Indian films like Jawan (2023) and Pushpa.
“Such collaborations make the project culturally rich and give it a rooted yet global perspective. This way, the audience gets a variety of characters, each with their own individuality and journey alongside the protagonists,” says Kushagra and adds, “I am highly inspired by Chak De! India (2007), which had characters from different cultures and backgrounds. That idea was deeply embedded in my mind, and I prepared a similar bouquet of actors as per our storyline.”
He adds that the approach is to make a global film. “In today’s world, the audience has become very broad, and language is no longer a barrier. In the Malayalam-speaking belt of Kerala, people are watching Korean dramas. That’s why we strategically roped in cast and crew from across industries,” he explains.
Elaborating on Nawazuddin’s role as a professor, he says, “Every concept in the heist thriller is based on principles of Physics, which his character applies. A lot of scientific research has gone into it.”
Kushagra has previously made several short films showcased at various Indian and international festivals, including Guilt (2022), which won at the Paris Film Fest.
His next project will again adopt a global approach. “It will be a big-scale, multi-starrer film set in a very different kind of fictional world, connected to a strong mythological base,” he adds.
