Rajkummar Rao and Pratibha Ranta to Lead Dharma's Fantasy Horror Vishkanya

Dharma Productions is adding another genre title to its growing slate, with Rajkummar Rao and Pratibha Ranta set to headline the fantasy horror film Vishkanya.

The project is described as a high-concept film that places an expansive magical fantasy world alongside a sense of dread and existential terror. While plot details remain under wraps, the narrative is expected to move past familiar horror devices and instead unfold in a mythic universe with its own rules and supernatural forces.

Sonal Joshi, who made her directorial debut with the 2023 Shilpa Shetty-starrer comedy-drama Sukhee, will direct. Her earlier credits include assisting Vijay Krishna Acharya on Dhoom 3, Imtiaz Ali on Tamasha and Jab Harry Met Sejal, and work on the Emraan Hashmi-led Netflix series Bard of Blood.

Ranta, who broke through with Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, will take on the title role of a "Vishkanya". The film is her second with Dharma Productions, after the psychological thriller Accused, co-starring Konkona Sen Sharma, which premiered on Netflix in February. For Rao, it is a second Dharma project following Mr. & Mrs. Mahi (2024), in which he starred opposite Janhvi Kapoor.

Shooting on Vishkanya is expected to begin by the end of this year.

The film joins a broader push by the studio into horror and fantasy. Dharma has already lined up the fantasy comedy Naagzilla and the Malayalam period folk thriller Odiyan: The Age of Illusion for next year, along with two horror films, one of them starring Aditya Roy Kapur. All are intended for theatrical release.

Beyond that, the company is assembling a theatrical slate for 2027-28 that includes Kartik Aaryan's Naagzilla; Raj Mehta's Lag Ja Gale, starring Tiger Shroff, Lakshya and Janhvi Kapoor; and Prosit Roy's untitled psychological romance featuring Lakshya and Vedika Pinto. Also announced is a large-scale spy film based on the life of R.N. Kao, founder of the Research and Analysis Wing, as well as a divine epic centred on the love story of Radha and Krishna.