Vicky Kaushal to play Udham Singh in Shoojit Sircar's next

Mumbai: Vicky Kaushal is set to play freedom fighter Sardar Udham Singh in a film, which will be directed by Shoojit Sircar.

The film is a biopic on the revolutionary, who assassinated Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in British India in 1940, to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Sircar said Kaushal was the “obvious choice” for the film, which was earlier set to feature Irrfan Khan.

“If you look at Vicky’s track record, he is taking brave steps and making some really fabulous choices. I wanted an actor who is ready to give his heart and soul to the film. Plus, he is a Punjabi boy and my film is a story of a Punjabi man,” the filmmaker said in a statement.

The actor, whose last film “Uri: The Surgical Strike” is one of 2019’s biggest hits, said working with Sircar was on his wish list.

“It’s a surreal feeling because it’s like a dream come true as I am finally getting to work with him. I have always been a big admirer of how Shoojit sir looks at his stories.

“The way he is looking at the character and the world is extraordinary as well as beautiful. Plus, it’s also a big honour for me that finally, I am going to be directed by him. Honestly, that’s something that will take time to sink in,” Kaushal said.

The currently untitled film goes on floors next month and is slated to be released next year.

Singh has been the subject of a biopic in Bollywood in the past with Raj Babbar playing the role in “Shaheed Udham Singh” in 1999 film.