It was announced earlier this year that Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty is making his directorial debut with a Hindi-language project. The film, titled Sarpakal, penned by writer Kamlesh Pandey, was set to on go floors with Amitabh Bachchan as the lead. According to the buzz, Bachchan had agreed to play the role of a Pakistani man in the film after liking the peaceful messaging in Resul’s script.
However, owing to the worsening relationship between India and Pakistan over the Pulwama terror attack, the veteran actor has decided to drop out of the project. Sarpakal features an international backdrop with actors from both India and abroad.
The VFX-heavy film has been described to be on the lines of The Lord Of The Rings. Resul Pookutty won an Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for Danny Boyle’s 2009 film, Slumdog Millionaire. He launched production house, Le Penta Motion Pictures, in 2016.