Harshvardhan Rane roped in for Ektaa R Kapoor’s crime film Shootout in Dubai

Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa

The ‘Shootout' franchise is officially stepping out of Mumbai and going international. After earlier plans to shift the narrative to Delhi, the makers have now finalised Dubai as the setting for the third film, titled ‘Shootout in Dubai'.

Following ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala' (2007) and ‘Shootout at Wadala' (2013), which chronicled the rise of Mumbai's underworld, the new instalment marks the franchise's first international outing. Harshvardhan Rane is currently the only actor confirmed to headline the film.

Ektaa R Kapoor

The project has been in development since 2021, with the script going through six major drafts. According to sources, Ektaa R Kapoor and co-creator Sanjay Gupta were unwilling to move forward until the screenplay matched the visceral punch of the earlier films.

"There was no pressure to rush this. The makers were very clear that unless the script carried the same aggression and attitude as Lokhandwala and Wadala, they wouldn't greenlight it. Each draft was about the tone. It seems they finally have something they can bet on and will lock it by March," a source told mid-day.

Unlike the previous films, which drew heavily from real-life gangland encounters, Shootout in Dubai will tell a completely fictional story. "This one is designed to feel swankier. Dubai allows for scale, be it glass buildings, highways, night action, a more international visual grammar. It's still a Shootout film, but with a fresh skin," the source concluded.