The past few months have been all-consuming for Maharaj (2024) maker Siddharth P Malhotra, who is set to bring late Meena Kumari’s story to the big screen with Kamal Aur Meena. There have been constant rumours that Kiara Advani may step into the shoes of the late Hindi cinema legend. While Malhotra didn’t divulge names, he told mid-day that he has finalised the leads.

“I have put together my cast. They have said yes,” said the director, who will trace the love story of Kumari and her filmmaker-husband Kamal Amrohi through the Bilal Amrohi production. He added that the casting process took a long time because the project demanded big stars. “It’s Meena Kumari’s story officially. If you don’t get stars, you won’t be able to mount the film.”