Oct 27, 2026 8:01pm IST
Ansh Duggal on Fear of ‘Nakhrewaalii’ Not Releasing After 2-Year Delay: ‘I Had Moved On’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Ansh Duggal stars in the upcoming modern romance film, “Nakhrewaalii,” alongside Pragati Srivastava, with Aanand L. Rai directing. Ahead of its release, Duggal joins Variety India in an exclusive conversation about finally making his theatrical debut in the romance project. He shot “Nakhrewaalii” before taking on “Don’t Be Shy;” the latter ended up becoming his first project. The Alia Bhatt-backed Prime Video show also includes Aarushi Bajaj, Bianca Arora and Piyush Khati.
Initially touted for release in February 2025, Nakhrewalii was pushed back multiple times, leading many to wonder if the project would ever see the light of day. Talking about the fear that his first project might not reach theaters after “Nakhrewaalii” faced a two-year delay, he says, “I had moved on, 100%, because it was a wait of two years. After a point, you have to accept it and then move on. You can't stay in the past. You feel like it's gone because we worked really hard to make that film. I'm very attached to it because it's the first film I shot.”
He details how he made peace with it, “I never gave up hope that it won't come out. Then you tell yourself, ‘You're overthinking. Trust in the makers. Trust in God and trust in yourself and whatever is for you will happen. Keep your head down and keep working.’”
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Talking about the first time he met his co-star Pragati Srivastava on the set, he says, “She was acting all cool as the heroine of the film. She was giving me attitude. After 2 or 3 days of shooting, she's like, ‘I can't keep this act anymore.’ Then we had a ball shooting the film.”
In the project, Ansh Duggal wears a ghagra and dresses as a woman to win over his love interest, Paridhi, played by Srivastava. On his role as Sumit Mishra and having to cross-dress, Duggal recalls, “I think on the eighth or ninth day, I had to cross-dress. When I came out of the van, three cars came to get me and ten umbrellas. That's when I felt this was the hero of the film. It taught me how to strip away that vanity and just be the part.”
On why he decided to take on this project in the first place, Duggal remains modest. “I didn't choose the film; it chose me. When you come from Delhi to Mumbai to be an actor at 25 years old and you're offered a film by a filmmaker like Mr Rai, where you're getting to play the lead — how do you say no?”
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He reiterates that declining never crossed his mind, “Why [would I say no]? Out of fear of judgment? I'd rather take that chance and make it my own. Of course, I had a choice to say yes or no, but I'm very lucky and grateful to be offered a film like this with a name like Aanand L. Rai attached to it. I always felt that it was a great opportunity.”
Sharing his takeaways from the project, the actor says, “It’s a film made with a lot of heart. It shows what you can do and to what extent you can go for love. We've tried to give a small message around the challenges women face in today's world and that’s not preachy. If you want to take it, you take it. If you don't want to take it, you will still come out of the theaters laughing. There's not a dull moment.”
“Nakhrewaalii" hits theaters on October 30, 2026.
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