Ansh Duggal’s ‘Nakhrewaalii’ To Premiere On Streaming In November, Nearly Two Years After Its Planned Theatrical Release (EXCLUSIVE)

Aanand L Rai’s “Nakhrewaalii”, which was originally announced as the theatrical launch vehicle for newcomers Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava, is finally set for release. Variety India has learnt that the Rahul Shanklya directorial will premiere on Netflix in November 2026, nearly two years after it was first scheduled to arrive in cinemas.

The film was initially announced in July 2024 with a Valentine’s Day 2025 theatrical release. Directed by Rahul Shanklya and written by Divy Nidhi Sharma, “Nakhrewaalii” is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aanand L Rai and Himanshu Sharma, with Jio Studios and Colour Yellow Productions attached to the project.

The release delay has also changed the timeline of Duggal’s acting debut. “Nakhrewaalii” was originally positioned as his first film, with Duggal himself describing the project as his Bollywood debut when filming began.

Related Stories

‘Don’t Be Shy’ Review: Alia Bhatt’s Campus Rom-Com Plays It Safe

‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ Season 2: Aryan Khan’s Series to Go on Floors in March 2027 (EXCLUSIVE)

However, with the film remaining unreleased, he made his debut  in “Don’t Be Shy”, the young-adult romantic comedy produced by Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt and directed by Sreeti Mukerji. The Prime Video film premiered on September 25, 2026, making it the first of Duggal’s two projects to reach audiences.

In “Don’t Be Shy”, Duggal plays Dhruv Kumar in the campus film. He played Shyamili Da's (Aarushi Bajaj) love interest in a film involving friendship, and romance. “Nakhrewaalii”, is a small-town romantic comedy and marked the launch of Duggal and Srivastava as fresh faces under Rai’s Colour Yellow Productions. Rai had previously spoken about discovering the two actors during auditions, saying he felt they were the right fit for the film.

The film’s first look had generated attention for Duggal’s character being dressed in a ghagra, hinting at the unconventional romantic comedy Rai and Shanklya were attempting. The project completed production but remained without a theatrical release after its original February 2025 date was pushed.

With its November Netflix premiere, “Nakhrewaalii” will now arrive after Duggal has already made his screen debut through “Don’t Be Shy”, turning what was originally intended as his first introduction to audiences into his second release.