Fahadh Faasil's Hindi debut with Imtiaz Ali has fallen through. The filmmaker told PTI in Mumbai on October 28 that the two had tried to make a film together, but it did not work out, and that they still hope to team up.
Imtiaz spoke on the sidelines of a film festival. His words, as reported by PTI: "I want to work with Fahadh Faasil, we tried to, but things didn't work out. We are in touch with each other and keen to work together. So, at some point of time, I hope to have the pleasure of working with Fahadh."
The timeline
December 2024: Imtiaz names the project, The Idiot of Istanbul, in an interview with India Today and says shooting would start in early 2025. It is billed as Fahadh's Hindi debut.
2025: News18 reports that Triptii Dimri would co-star and that Imtiaz's banner, Window Seat Films, would produce. Neither detail was officially confirmed.
October 28, 2026: Imtiaz tells PTI the film did not materialise, while saying he and Fahadh are in touch.
In the same conversation, Imtiaz said not all of the recent reports about his Heer Ranjha casting were true.
What Fahadh has next
Fahadh is busy at home and in Telugu. His Telugu fantasy film Don't Trouble the Trouble, directed by Shashank Yeleti and presented by S.S. Rajamouli, streams on Netflix from October 30 in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. The Hindi dub means Hindi-speaking viewers can catch him in a lead role this week, even without a Hindi film. Our Don't Trouble the Trouble OTT story has the details.
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In Malayalam, Karate Chandran went on floors on October 24. Bhavana Studios announced the start of its Production No. 8, directed by Roy and written by S. Hareesh and Vinoy Thomas. Our Karate Chandran story covers the launch.
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Fahadh outside Malayalam
Fahadh has never done a Hindi film. His work outside Malayalam so far is in Tamil and Telugu.
- Velaikkaran (Tamil, 2017), his Tamil debut
- Super Deluxe (Tamil, 2019)
- Pushpa: The Rise (Telugu, 2021)
- Vikram (Tamil, 2022)
- Maamannan (Tamil, 2023)
- Vettaiyan (Tamil, 2024)
- Pushpa 2: The Rule (Telugu, 2024)
- Maareesan (Tamil, 2025)
- Don't Trouble the Trouble (Telugu, 2026), his first Telugu lead
That leaves the Hindi question open. The Idiot of Istanbul is off for now, but Imtiaz has made it clear the door is still open, and Fahadh's reach in Hindi currently runs through dubbed releases such as this week's Netflix premiere. For a Tamil film that was first planned around him, see our story on Scene and Jithu Madhavan.
