25 years after Dil Chahta Hai became a landmark film in Hindi cinema, Saif Ali Khan and Farhan Akhtar are set to collaborate once again. The actor has reportedly signed an upcoming thriller backed by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, marking a major reunion for the duo. According to Variety India, the project is currently in the development stage, with details being kept tightly under wraps. Sources told the news portal that the film as an intense thriller that will explore themes of morality, ethics and complex social issues. The story is expected to combine suspense with thought-provoking drama.Saif will reportedly lead the film, while the makers are still searching for a top female actor to join the cast. The screenplay is currently being written, and production is expected to begin by the end of the year. A director has not yet been finalised. The project reunites Saif with Farhan, with whom he shares a long-standing professional and personal bond. Their last major collaboration was Dil Chahta Hai, the coming-of-age drama that continues to enjoy cult status more than two decades after its release and is credited with changing the landscape of contemporary Hindi cinema.
Saif has been keeping busy with a packed slate of projects. He was recently seen playing a police officer in Netflix India’s Kartavya. The actor also has Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan, co-starring Akshay Kumar, and Rahul Dholakia’s Netflix film based on India’s first General Election in the pipeline.
Meanwhile, Excel Entertainment is building an impressive lineup of films. Apart from the thriller with Saif, the production house is also reuniting with another Dil Chahta Hai star, Aamir Khan, for Ashutosh Gowariker’s sports drama inspired by the 1952 India-Pakistan Test Series. Farhan Akhtar is also expected to play a key role in the yet-to-be-titled project, which is slated to begin production in October 2026.The banner’s upcoming slate also includes a suspense-driven action thriller starring Sunny Deol and Jyothika, along with Karna, a two-part mythological epic directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Before those projects arrive, Excel Entertainment’s next theatrical release will be Mirzapur: The Movie. Based on the hugely popular streaming series, the film stars Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu, Abhishek Banerjee, Shweta Tripathi, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Rasika Duggal, and is scheduled to hit cinemas on September 4, 2026.