Imitiaz Ali confirms The Idiot of Istanbul with Fahadh Faasil, says 'it's a little ahead of time...'

Rumours had it that filmmaker Imtiaz Ali had planned a movie with Pushpa 2 star Fahadh Faasil. The Malayalam actor is yet to make his Bollywood debut and the filmmaker’s upcoming film is supposed to be his entry into the Hindi film industry. In the latest interview, the filmmaker finally confirmed the film, which is titled The Idiots of Istanbul. 

Imtiaz revealed that he has been trying to make the film for a long time. He said that the film is ahead of time while confirming it being made with Fahadh. “This announcement is out. But, it's a little ahead of its time. There is a movie, but, I don't know it might not be the next one up. But, yes, I have been trying to make this film for a long time. It's called The Idiot of Istanbul. I would love to do this and my plan is to make this film with Fahadh,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. 

Speculations were rife that Triptii Dimri would be paired with Fahadh in the upcoming film. However, the filmmaker didn’t divulge details about the other cast and crew in the film. Known for Jab We Met and Tamasha, Imtiaz will begin shooting in the first quarter of 2025 as per reports. However, the official announcement is yet to b made. 

Imtiaz was waiting to release his next project following the success of his recent Netflix film Chamkila, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra. He made his comeback of sorts with Chamkila after the underwhelming response to his 2020 film Love Aaj Kal, featuring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan.

On the other hand, Fahadh has had a busy year, with notable releases including Aavesham and Bougainvillea in Malayalam, Vettaiyan alongside Rajinikanth in Tamil, and Pushpa 2: The Rule with Allu Arjun in Telugu. His upcoming projects include Don't Trouble the Trouble and Oxygen in Telugu, as well as Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira and Karate Chandran in Malayalam.