Five years ago, Arjun Kapoor had received a thumbs-up from critics as well as the audience for his debut turn as the local goon, Parma, in Habib Faisal's Ishaqzaade, while his leading lady, Parineeti Chopra, had won a Special Mention for her fiery Zoya in the film at the 60th National Film Awards. Now, Mirror has learnt that the duo is joining forces again for Dibakar Banerjee's next, an action-romance.

The film has been in the pipeline for six months with Dibakar having met Arjun for the first narration in November last year. “Arjun had loved the script and given his nod but had not signed on the dotted line. Dibakar was still working on the final draft and wanted Parineeti as the leading lady. By January, both the actors were on-board,“ a source close to the development said, adding that Arjun is reportedly to be playing a Haryanvi police inspector in the film.

Arjun and Parineeti, who share a large circle of mutual celebrity friends, share a cordial equation off-screen too. They're both excited about facing the cameras together once again. While it was expected that the film would roll in mid-2017, we hear the kick-off date is within the next two months. The dark, gritty plot is set in North India and Parineeti's turn will be a far cry from her girl-next-door image. “Prep begins next month,“ the source added.