Aanand L. Rai opens up on how he chose Ansh Duggal, Pragati Srivastava as leads in 'Nakhrewaalii'

Filmmaker Aanand L. Rai, who is gearing up to launch fresh faces Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava in his upcoming film 'Nakhrewaalii', revealed how he discovered the two talents for the movie, which promises to bring a fresh perspective to Bollywood rom-coms.
Talking about the same, Aanand stated: "When I first saw Ansh and Pragati during the auditions, deep down I knew they would be the perfect fit for 'Nakhrewaalii'.There are actors who act, and there are actors who live their roles in and out. That exact spark in both of them attracted me the most. I am assured that the audiences will also love what they've done in the film."
Recently, the makers released the first poster of the movie, featuring Ansh and Pragati.
The poster, which shows Ansh wearing a ghagra, showcases how Rai has never shied away from breaking stereotypes and bringing uniqueness through his storytelling.
Directed by Rahul Shanklya and written by Divy Nidhi Sharma, 'Nakhrewaalii' is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aanand L Rai, and Himanshu Sharma.
The film is slated to hit theatres on Valentine's Day, 2025.
Meanwhile, Rai, who started his career as an engineer, moved to Mumbai, where he began assisting his elder brother, TV director Ravi Rai, in various television shows.
He made his directorial debut in 2007 with the psychological thriller 'Strangers', starring Jimmy Shergill, Kay Kay Menon, Nandana Sen, and Sonali Kulkarni. The film was based on Alfred Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train'.
In 2011, he started his production house, Colour Yellow Productions, which helmed all his future production ventures. Aanand got his breakthrough in 2011 with the romantic comedy-drama 'Tanu Weds Manu', starring R Madhavan and Kangana Ranaut. In 2015, he directed the second instalment of the movie titled 'Tanu Weds Manu: Returns'.

He has also directed the romantic drama Raanjhanaa', featuring Dhanush in his Bollywood debut alongside Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, and Swara Bhasker.
Most recently, he directed the family comedy-drama film 'Raksha Bandhan', starring Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar, Sadia Khateeb, Sahejmeen Kaur, Smrithi Srikanth, and Deepika Khanna.