May 18, 2017
Actor Irrfan Khan will feature in a
film adaptation of the novel "Moth Smoke" by Pakistan-born author
Mohsin Hamid. The film will be helmed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif
Kapadia.
Irrfan, Kapadia and independent producer Dina Dattani (executive
producer on "Bombay Velvet") acquired the rights to the novel, reports
variety.com.
Kapadia will direct and co-write the film while Dattani will introduce
it to the buyers in Cannes.
Irrfan, who starred in Kapadia's "The Warrior", will play the lead role
in "Moth Smoke".
"I have been eagerly waiting for something on which I could work with
Asif again and 'Moth Smoke' excites both of us. We believe it can be
set in contemporary times," Irrfan said.
Set in 1998 against the backdrop of nuclear tests by India and
Pakistan, the Lahore-based novel follows Darashikoh Shehzad, a social
misfit who begins an affair with his best friend's wife.
Other cast members will be decided in the coming months.
Dattani said: "Given the ongoing political tension between India and
Pakistan, it is not immediately clear where the film will be shot. It
is too early to decide on location. We will consider both Pakistan and
India for the shoot."