Filmmaker Hansal Mehta on Friday announced that his upcoming directorial "Faraaz" will be screened at the 2022 edition of the BFI London Film Festival.
Backed by filmmaker Anubhav Sinha and producer Bhushan Kumar, the film will depict the Holey Artisan cafe attack that shook Bangladesh in 2016.
Mehta, known for critical hits like "Shahid", "Aligarh", "Omerta" and the popular web series "Scam 1992", shared the news on Instagram.
"Honoured and grateful for the selection of our labour of love #Faraaz at the BFI London Film Festival 2022. A lot of passion, patience and perseverance have taken us this far. A massive thank you to the entire team that made this possible," the filmmaker wrote alongside a photo from the film's sets.
"Faraaz" will mark late actor Shashi Kapoor's grandson, Zahan Kapoor's debut and will also feature Aditya Rawal, son of actors Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Rawal.
The movie also stars actor Juhi Babbar in pivotal role.
Zahan said he is thrilled that maiden feature film has been invited by the BFI.
"Absolutely thrilled, honoured and grateful that my first film, 'Faraaz', has been invited to the BFI London Film Festival," he posted on Instagram Stories.
As per the official synopsis, Faraaz chronicles the events that took place on the night of July 1, 2016, in Dhaka where five young militants ravaged the upscale cafe and held over 50 people as hostages for nearly 12 dreadful hours.
The movie has been written by Ritesh Shah, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker.
"Faraaz" is jointly produced by Sinha's Benaras Mediaworks, T-Series along with Mahana Films' Sahil Saigal, Sakshi Bhatt and Mazahir Mandasaurwala.
(ANI)
The singer jokingly texted Clairo saying, "Let's f**k her up," sparking an online frenzy
Why Charli XCX jokingly declared war on Peppa Pig after one viral comment
Highlights
What started as a playful celebrity game has turned into one of the internet's most unexpected viral moments, with Charli XCX jokingly threatening to "f**k up" Peppa Pig after the beloved cartoon character appeared to dismiss singer Clairo.
The exchange quickly spread across social media, drawing reactions from fans and fellow musicians, while turning an unlikely clash between a pop star and a fictional children's character into a trending talking point.
Peppa Pig's viral remark sparked the joke
The playful exchange began during Peppa Pig's appearance in Pitchfork's Over/Under game, where the animated character rated a selection of music artists.
While expressing admiration for acts including PinkPantheress and The Beatles, Peppa responded to Clairo by saying, "I don't know her," a line widely recognised as a reference to Mariah Carey's famous response when asked about Jennifer Lopez.
The remark, accompanied by a knowing glance at the camera, quickly gained traction online.
Charli XCX rushed to Clairo's defence
After seeing the clip, Charli XCX privately messaged Clairo, writing, "Let's f**k her up," alongside a screenshot of the viral post.
Clairo later shared the exchange on social media, prompting thousands of reactions from fans, many of whom responded with pig and bacon-themed jokes.
PinkPantheress, whom Peppa had praised in the original video, also joined the conversation, posting a message supporting Clairo.
As the exchange continued, Clairo responded to the growing attention with humour, replying to posts before eventually telling followers, "ok that's enoughhhhh lolllllllllll."
Some fans joked that the viral moment was the perfect opportunity for the singer to announce new music, though Clairo replied that she did not have anything ready to share.
Her most recent album, Charm, was released in 2024, with its accompanying tour concluding in 2025.
Charli XCX keeps her focus on new music
While the online joke continued to gather momentum, Charli XCX did not publicly add to the exchange.
Instead, the singer has been focusing on promoting her upcoming album, Music, Fashion, Film, which is scheduled for release on July 24.
Although fans speculated that one of the track titles could be a playful nod to the viral exchange, there has been no indication that the album references the light-hearted social media moment.