Ayesha Kapur, who appeared as a child actor in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005), is making her leading debut. Ayesha will star opposite Anshuman Jha in the upcoming film Hari-Om.

The 28-year-old actor, who studied at Columbia in New York, has been working on her Hindi diction for nearly six months with Kulvinder Bakshish (The language coach who trained Aamir Khan in Punjabi for Laal Singh Chaddha), besides workshopping with Anshuman for Hari-Om.

 "I am excited about getting back into acting and shooting for Hari Om," says Ayesha on her debut vehicle. "It’s a sweet, family film which will touch a chord with everyone in some way."

"I like the simplicity with which (director) Harish (Vyas) sir writes his stories and fleshes out his characters. They are very real and relatable. Also, this film has me working alongside celebrated actors like Raghuvir Yadav sir and Soni Razdan ma’am. To be working with them and being in the same frame as them will be an exciting learning experience for me. And it’s great to work with Anshuman because I really admire his acting and the script choices he makes. Looking forward to shooting in Madhya Pradesh.'

 A father-son story, Hari-Om goes on floors in September with its first schedule in Bhopal. It will wrap up in December.