Janhvi Kapoor is set to experiment with a new genre in Hardik Mehta’s upcoming horror comedy, Rooh Afza. The actress joins Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma on the comedy, produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films. The makers released the new cast and theatrcial release date of 20 March 2020.
The first poster certainly captures the tinge of the reddish colour that has marked the now familiar drink of Rooh Afza across India.
Kapoor is set to play a double role, the first of her career, in the film. Hindustan Times quoted that the actress will play the twin characters of Roohi and Afza in the horror comedy written by Mrighdeep Lamba and Gautam Mehra.
Kapoor’s mother, Sridevi, famously played double roles in films like Chaal Baaz (1989), Lamhe (1991) and Khuda Gawah (1992).
The film marks the second horror comedy from Maddock Films after the success of Stree (2018). The makers had announced the initial cast list of Varun Sharma and Rajkummar Rao immediately after Stree.
The cast is set to begin shooting in June.
In a statement quoted in Hindustan Times, Vijan said, “For the female lead, we needed someone who could portray two contrasting personalities with ease, and Janhvi stood out. She really connected with the script. Her talent is still raw, but she is excited about being moulded. The script is young, refreshing and totally crazy, and she is exactly that.”
Lamba added, “We took some time to finalise the female lead. Besides being pretty, she needed to oscillate between two characters which are poles apart. You will fall in love with her in one scene and won’t believe she is the same girl in the next one. It’s not an easy switch for an actor. It’s the perfect casting.”