Rajkummar Rao and Pratibha Ranta to lead Dharma's fantasy horror Vishkanya

Dharma Productions has added another title to its growing horror and fantasy list. Rajkummar Rao and Pratibha Ranta have been signed to lead Vishkanya, a fantasy horror film that reports say blends a large magical world with genuine dread. It is the first time the two actors will share the screen.

Pratibha Ranta, who broke through with Laapataa Ladies, plays the title role of the Vishkanya. Plot details are still locked away, but reports say the film wants to build a mythic universe with its own rules and its own supernatural logic, rather than lean on the usual horror beats.

Sonal Joshi directs. She made her debut with the 2023 comedy drama Sukhee, which starred Shilpa Shetty. Before that she reportedly assisted Vijay Krishna Acharya on Dhoom 3 and Imtiaz Ali on Tamasha and Jab Harry Met Sejal, and also worked on the Emraan Hashmi series Bard of Blood. The shoot is expected to begin by the end of this year.

Vishkanya is the second Dharma film for both leads. Rajkummar Rao headlined Sharan Sharma's Mr. and Mrs. Mahi in 2024 alongside Janhvi Kapoor. Pratibha Ranta was part of Accused, the psychological thriller with Konkona Sen Sharma that went to streaming in February.

The banner already has a busy slate in the same space. Naagzilla, the fantasy comedy with Kartik Aaryan, and the Malayalam period folk thriller Odiyan: The Age of Illusion are both lined up, along with two more horror films, one of them starring Aditya Roy Kapur.

Beyond that, reports point to Raj Mehta's Lag Ja Gale with Tiger Shroff, Lakshya and Janhvi Kapoor, and Prosit Roy's untitled psychological romance with Lakshya and Vedika Pinto. A large spy film built on the life of R.N. Kao, who founded R&AW, and a divine epic centred on Radha and Krishna are also said to be in the works.