Casting director turned actor Abhishek Banerjee has a packed 2026 ahead, with his return as Compounder in Mirzapur The Movie and a Vikramaditya Motwane directed short opposite Konkona Sen Sharma in Netflix’s anthology Lust Stories 3. Among these, one project stands out for a different reason, Imtiaz Ali is attached to it as producer and mentor.
An idea born on Friendship Day
The film, Side Heroes, was announced last August around Friendship Day, when the Main Vaapas Aaunga filmmaker shared a lighthearted video pitching the concept to Banerjee, Aparshakti Khurana and Varun Sharma. In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, Banerjee opened up about his early impressions of the project.
He recalled learning that Khurana and Sharma were part of the cast and said, “I think the first time I got to know that Aparshakti Khurana and Varun Sharma were in the film, I said, ‘Okay, that’s interesting’.” He added that the makers had initially considered a different title, worried the cast might feel uneasy about being called Side Hero.
Taking on an industry term
Banerjee also took aim at how casually the term “side actor” gets used in entertainment coverage. “This is a journalism issue. You guys should never write ‘side actor’. What is this ‘side actor’? You can use any other word but ‘side’. Just because he’s standing on the side!” he said, adding that the film’s actual genre might surprise audiences.
The Stree actor also spoke about a piece of advice Imtiaz Ali gave him. “Sir met me at a screening, and he gave me a tip for Side Heroes. He said, ‘Don’t try to become a hero’.” Banerjee called it fitting, since the film’s premise rests on the idea that nobody in it is a hero.
He extended the same philosophy to young actors chasing stardom, urging them to rely on their training instead of imitating trends, and calling it “a call for revolution.”
Side Heroes is written by Siddharth Sen and Pankaj Matta, and directed by Ssanjay Tripaathy. It is produced by Imtiaz Ali, Mahaveer Jain, Reeyan M. Shah and Mrighdeep Singh Lamba. Originally slated for an August 2026 release, the film currently has no confirmed date.
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