Exclusive: John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi to star in Sanjay Gupta’s gangster film

For his next outing, Sanjay Gupta is returning to the gangster genre after six years — since Shootout At Wadala (2013). And the filmmaker has got John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi to star in his new underworld flick. Interestingly, the two actors, who have been part of gangster films individually, haven’t worked together before. 

While John has essayed characters on the other side of the law in Welcome Back (2015) and Satyameva Jayate (2018) apart from Sanjay’s Shootout At Wadala, Emraan played a gangster in Awarapan (2007) and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010). 

Incidentally, this will be the first time the latter will collaborate with Sanjay, who last helmed Kaabil (2017) with Hrithik Roshan.

This time around, too, the filmmaker, who is also producing the project in association with Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series, will take audiences back to the Mumbai of the 1980s and ’90s, and is inspired by true incidents of the decades. 

According to our source, “Key events like the shutting down of the mills and the murder of a prominent businessman in broad daylight to Bombay becoming Mumbai have been incorporated in the screenplay.” However, the insider adds that the movie is a work of fiction. “The nexus between politicians, police, business fraternity and the underworld as well as the behind-the-scenes drama, which played a part in the changing landscape of the city, will also be there in the film,” adds our informer. The as-yet untitled project is slated to go on floors at the end of July. We also heard that the team got together for a photo shoot at a suburban hotel last night.