Mahima Makwana to play the female lead in Emraan Hashmi starrer Showtime

When Dharmatic Entertainment, the web division of Karan Johar's production company, unveiled Showtime last week, a lot of people took notice. The Disney+ Hotstar series is advertised as an inside look at the entertainment industry, analysing nepotism and the challenges faced by outsiders as seen through the eyes of a major studio.

Even more intriguing is the fact that it comes from the ace filmmaker who was at the centre of the nepotism controversy. While Emraan Hashmi was slated to star in the series, as per reports in Mid Day, Mahima Makwana, who has been a popular face on television, has been chosen by the producers to play the female protagonist.

The casting can be seen as an interesting strategy to change the public's impression of a company that just debuted several star kids. According to a source, Makwana was hired after going through several auditions. The actor has appeared in several well-known television series, including Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke, Adhuri Kahaani Hamari, and Mariam Khan: Reporting Live.

She appeared in two Telugu films before making her Bollywood debut with Antim: The Final Truth, which starred Salman Khan last year. She participated in numerous screen tests over four months as one of many Showtime contenders. The actress also filmed for Bas Karo Aunty, the next film from Ashwiny Iyer and Nitesh Tiwari, in addition to the web series, the insider told the tabloid. Given the nature of the series' plot, the decision to cast a relatively unproven actor was one that the creators made on purpose.

If everything goes according to plan, the crew will start working on the project by November. It will be directed by Dr. Arora's Archit Kumar and Masoom director Mihir Desai. The insider continued, saying that the ensemble cast is currently being locked up. The first schedule, which will last for four months, will be where the majority of the series' shooting will take place.