Exclusive: Harinder S. Sikka and Venu Udugula Team Up for Upcoming Hindi Venture

Renowned author and filmmaker Harinder S. Sikka, best known for penning the spy thriller Calling Sehmat, which was adapted into the blockbuster Raazi starring Alia Bhatt and directed by Meghna Gulzar, is set to collaborate with Telugu filmmaker Venu Udugula for a path-breaking Hindi film.

Confirming the development, Venu Udugula says, “I am glad to make my Hindi directorial debut with the story given by Harinder Sikka. It is truly a dream project for me.”

Interestingly, Venu admits he was initially unfamiliar with Sikka’s background. “Honestly, I didn’t know much about him before I got a call from T.K.A. Nair, former principal secretary to the late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had been approached by Harinder Sikka,” he reveals. “Later, I learnt that Harinder saab was a former Lieutenant Commander in the Indian Navy, the Group Director – Strategic Business at Piramal Group, and the producer of Nanak Shah Fakir, which won accolades at Cannes, Toronto, and Los Angeles film festivals, besides bagging three National Awards.”

Harinder Sikka, who had watched Venu Udugula’s hard-hitting Telugu film Virata Parvam starring Rana Daggubati and Sai Pallavi a few years ago, had been keen on collaborating with the director ever since. “I was a bit nervous when he called me for the first time, but he immediately put me at ease. He visited my office twice in Hyderabad, and we had great interactions. I learned a lot about literature and cinema during those meetings,” Venu adds.

Venu will be adapting the novel, currently being completed by Sikka, into a screenplay and will also direct the film. “Adapting a novel for cinema comes with its own set of challenges,” he admits. “The film revolves around the Bride- Card Game and features two female protagonists. It will be an intelligent yet emotionally engaging narrative, striking the right balance between the two.”

With this project, Venu Udugula joins the growing list of Telugu filmmakers, after Ram Gopal Varma, Puri Jagannadh, and Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who are venturing into Bollywood. “It’s a new challenge, and I’m completely game for it,” he says.

Meanwhile, Venu recently tasted success as a producer with the heart-wrenching love story Raju Weds Rambai, once again proving that Telugu audiences strongly embrace content-driven cinema.

The film is expected to go on floors in 2026.