Vikas Bahl sets 1990s UK Punjabi musical with Siddhant Chaturvedi and Alizeh Agnihotri

Vikas Bahl’s 1990s UK-set musical stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Alizeh Agnihotri. It explores the "Asian Underground" Punjabi scene, identity, and romance, with filming starting in late 2026.

Siddhant Chaturvedi; Alizeh Agnihotri/Instagram

Queen a female-led dramedy, Super 30, an educational biography, and Shaitaan, a supernatural thriller, are all hits with critics and audiences alike; now, Vikas Bahl is branching out into musicals for his next project. According to Variety India, the filmmaker is reportedly working on a romantic musical drama starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Alizeh Agnihotri.

What historical movement inspires the film’s soundtrack?

The storyline of the untitled project is based on the rise of the UK's Punjabi underground music scene in the '90s. Many people in the British-Asian diaspora consider this time crucial since it was during it that music became a weapon of cultural resistance. Integrating Western musical styles such as techno, hip-hop, and drum & bass with traditional folk instruments from Punjab was a defining feature of the movement.

The film will take place in the UK in the 1990s and will focus on the lives of the post-immigrant generation, a group of young people who had to deal with the challenges of balancing their two identities as British and Punjabi. As a result of tensions between cultures, a new "Asian Underground" sound emerged, which became popular in nightclubs around the world and helped reimagine South Asian identity.

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What do we know about the lead characters and production timeline?

The film features Siddhant Chaturvedi as a percussionist and Alizeh Agnihotri as a singer. During this time of creative exploration, Bahl supposedly penned a script that centers around a love story with elements of ambition, romance, and coming-of-age. The filmmaker has reportedly finished writing the screenplay and is now in the pre-production phase, according to insiders in the industry. Principal photography is set to begin in the latter part of 2026.

Chaturvedi and Bahl have collaborated on a project before. The third quarter of 2026 is when their debut collaboration, Dil Ka Darwaza Khol Na Darling—which co-stars Jaya Bachchan and Wamiqa Gabbi—is set to hit theatres.

What other major projects are currently on Siddhant Chaturvedi’s slate?

Chaturvedi has a prominent status in the industry right now. His most recent feature, the love drama Do Deewane Seher Mein (which he co-starred in with Mrunal Thakur and was produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali), premiered on February 20. It is Chaturvedi's intention to film a lavish biography of the renowned Indian director V. Shantaram before he starts production on Bahl's musical. The actor will play Shantaram as he rises from the golden age of silent film to the pinnacle of Indian cinema in the biopic directed by Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande.

This musical marks Alizeh Agnihotri's second big-screen performance. A remake of the Thai thriller Bad Genius Farrey was her 2023 debut film, and she received rave reviews for her role.

Which global music icons influenced this cultural era?

Adding to the lineup of films that analyse the history of the Indian diaspora, the forthcoming musical, which will be directed by Bahl, is anticipated to make a splash. The film seeks to represent a specific time of cultural change via the perspective of a modern romance by focusing on the 1990s UK Punjabi movement. This era created global icons like Bally Sagoo and Panjabi MC.

Vikas Bahl Film FAQs:

What is filmmaker Vikas Bahl’s next movie?

Vikas Bahl is currently developing an untitled musical romance drama set against the 1990s Punjabi underground music scene in the UK. This project follows his recent successes, including Queen, Super 30 and Shaitaan.

Who are the lead actors in Vikas Bahl’s upcoming musical?

The film stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Alizeh Agnihotri in the lead roles. Siddhant will portray a drummer, while Alizeh is cast as a singer in a story centered on romance and identity.

What was Alizeh Agnihotri’s debut film?

Alizeh Agnihotri made her acting debut in the 2023 thriller Farrey a remake of the Thai film Bad Genius. Her role in Vikas Bahl’s upcoming musical will be her second major film appearance.

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