Indian actor Saif Ali Khan has joined N.T. Rama Rao Jr. (aka NTR Jr) in the cast of the RRR star’s next film, known under the working title NTR 30, according to a report by Deadline.

The two actors have already started filming together on the Telugu-language action drama, directed by Koratala Siva, which started shooting in Hyderabad last month. 

In a statement, the film’s producers said the film “will see Saif Ali Khan play a pivotal role alongside NTR Jr. The film promises to be a visual extravaganza, with an exciting storyline and a talented cast.”

NTR 30 marks the first time that NTR Jr and Saif Ali Khan have starred in a film together. Indian actress Janhvi Kapoor also recently joined the cast. The film is produced by Yuvasudha Arts and Nandamuri Kalyan Ram under the banner of NTR Arts. A pan-Indian release is scheduled for April 5, 2024.  

The film is part of a growing trend for major stars from the Hindi, Telugu and Tamil-language film industries to share screen space together to appeal to a wider pan-Indian audience. 

Saif Ali Khan is one of the biggest stars in the Hindi-language film industry, with recent film releases including Vikram Vedha, Bunty Aur Babli 2 and Dil Bechara. He also played the lead role in Netflix Hindi-language web series Sacred Games. 

It was also recently announced that NTR Jr is set to star alongside Hrithik Roshan in Hindi-language action drama War 2, the sequel to the 2019 blockbuster War, which forms part of Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe.