Anand Gandhi’s next film about a novel pandemic; filmmaker approaches Sushant Singh Rajput

Ship of Theseus director Anand Gandhi has been busy writing his next film - a sci-fi screenplay about a novel pandemic. Titled Emergence, the film has been in development for the last five years. The story follows four scientists as they race against a deadly pandemic to save the world.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Anand has been making some revisions. "[Earlier] we had planned to give information about the nature of a pandemic [through the film]. Now that we all know what it's like to be in the midst of one, I don't have to educate the audience about its nuances. So, we have had to make some changes in the script," he said.

The focus now on the intended crux of the story. "I can directly take the audience to the understanding of host behaviour manipulation of a parasite. The idea that our microbiome informs our behaviour is better understood now than ever before. I want to use a pandemic setting as a deeper investigation into the nature of human identity and social behaviour,” he shared.

Anand had earlier expressed interest to cast Irrfan Khan in the film. Due to the recent demise of the actor, he is now planning on approaching Sushant Singh Rajput.

“It's unfortunate that I took so long to write it. I wish Irrfan could have been a part of it,” he said. “Sushant is a dear friend, and I always work on the assumption that he will be part of what I create. I also have Australian actor Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, V For Vendetta) in mind. Most importantly, I need four women actors for the principal cast."

Emergence is set to go on floor next year. Initially set in 2020, the director has now decided to unfold the story in 2025.