Actor and director Vikrant Rai: I want to show a different side of Azamgarh with my love story
Actor and Director Vikrant Rai's Azamgarh Love Story
Bharatmorningnews.com – Actor and director Vikrant Rai is preparing to challenge every assumption outsiders hold about his hometown. His upcoming feature Cousin Isha, a romance set squarely in the Purvanchal region, represents his boldest creative statement yet: a tender love story shot entirely within Azamgarh, a city most industry insiders associate only with crime narratives. Rai, who has spent years building his craft on screen, now wields the camera himself to reframe how the world sees the place where he was born.
"In Mumbai, in the film circuit, if we mention a story and shoot in Azamgarh, then they will assume that it will be about mafia, katta and bandook. Not in the wildest dream will one think of shooting a love story, but we did that!"
A First for Azamgarh's Big-Screen Record
Actor and director Vikrant Rai asserts that no full-length motion picture has previously been filmed entirely within Azamgarh's boundaries. His production is designed to claim that distinction, translating what he calls the city's overlooked visual poetry into cinematic language. The sunrise over rural fields, the quiet geometry of winter villages, and the textures of rustic locations all become characters in his frame.
"I have captured the beauty of the city that will be showcased for the first time on a big screen. The sunrise and sunset, the beauty of villages in winters, rustic locations. I want to show a different side of Azamgarh with my love story."
How the Film Found Its True Home
The project originally carried a Kanpur shooting schedule, but logistical obstacles made that plan untenable. Compounding the difficulty, the hired director abandoned the project midway through pre-production. Rather than let the film dissolve, Rai stepped behind the camera himself and incorporated a dedicated production house to carry the project through to completion.
"Unfortunately, it could not work out. To save the film, we moved it to Azamgarh. As the director had walked out, I decided to go behind the camera and eventually set up a production house so the film could happen."
Cast, Music, and a Plot Twist
Faithful to its title, Cousin Isha orbits a romantic narrative, yet Rai teases that the screenplay conceals a structural twist he describes as "a unique angle that has never been explored before." He declines to specify the mechanism, preferring that audiences encounter the deeper layers organically as the story unfolds.
The musical score draws on the voices of Shaan, Shahid Mallya, and Rahul Mishra. On screen, Rai shares leading roles with Surabhi Talodia, Anjuman Saxena, Naresh Gosain, and Prateek Pachauri.
A Career Spanning Television and Cinema
Cousin Isha will mark Rai's fifth feature-length credit. His earlier filmography includes Uuva (2015) and Bhouri (2016). His most recent appearance, the 2024 feature Tatkshan, was shot entirely in Lucknow and received a limited theatrical window across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Speaking about the upcoming release, Rai says he will stretch whatever modest resources are available to secure a proper theatrical run.
Before turning his full attention to cinema, Rai built a substantial television résumé through serials such as Kavyanjali, Ghar Ki Laxmi Betiyaan, and Maayka: Saath Zindagi Bhar Ka. He also appeared in Feroz Abbas Khan's OTT series Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti
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