Vishal Bhardwaj’s highly anticipated adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children had created quite a buzz when it was announced, but the project was later put on hold. It was in October last year that the filmmaker announced that the Netflix adaptation of Midnight’s Children was on hold and he didn’t reveal when it would resume or what would happen next. In June 2019, there had also been reports that Ishaan Khatter, who had then been approached for the protagonist’s role, had opted out due to creative differences. Now, as per the latest reports, Shalin Bhanot, who was last seen in Ekta Kapoor’s Naagin 4, has been roped in for an important role in Midnight’s Children.
A source told Pinkvilla that the casting for the multi-part series Midnight’s Children is currently on in full swing, and that Shalin has been approached for a pivotal role. The story revolves around the time of India’s Independence wherein the protagonist Saleem Sinai, who is born precisely at midnight, 15 August 1947, discovers that all children born at midnight on that date have special powers. Coming back to Shalin, the actor has been a part of several television shows over the years, and his performance in Naagin 4 was also lauded by the audience.
Meanwhile, last year, after midnight’s Children fell apart, Vishal Bhardwaj had said that after the failure of Rangoon, starring Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor, and Kangana Ranaut, he did not want to go through with a compromise on the quality of VFX in his other projects.
Vishal Bhardwaj had told HuffPost, “My experience of Rangoon came in handy during Midnight’s Children. The budget became so much that it became impractical to go ahead with it. Had I not gone through with the bad VFX experience of Rangoon, I would have committed that mistake in Midnight’s Children which would have been much worse because of how special that book is.”ALSO READ: Naagin 5: Dheeraj Dhoopar Roped In To Play A Pivotal Role With Hina Khan In Ekta Kapoor’s Supernatural Thriller
Image Source: Instagram/Shalin Bhanot