Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil in talks for Syndicate? Ram Gopal Varma clears the air on casting reports

A report claimed that Ram Gopal Varma's Syndicate will feature Amitabh Bachchan in an extended cameo role.

Rumours had been circulating wildly after director Ram Gopal Varma announced his next upcoming film Syndicate, with speculation suggesting that Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, as well as actors Fahadh Faasil and Manoj Bajpayee, were being considered for key roles. However, the director has now stepped forward to quash these rumours, putting an end to the buzz surrounding the film's cast.

Ram Gopal Varma took to social media to clear the air on casting reports around his next film Syndicate.

RGV shuns rumours

A report in Telugu 360 claimed that the film will feature an ensemble cast from Bollywood and South film industry. It stated that megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be seen in an extended cameo role.

“Tollywood actor Venkatesh Daggubati is also in talks for a lead role and is expected to wrap up his portions in 35 days. Along with Amitabh and Venkatesh, Fahadh Faasil is also said to be in talks for a key role in Syndicate. Manoj Bajpayee and Anurag Kashyap have given their nods for other important roles. Syndicate will reportedly go on floors in mid-February,” claimed the report.

On Saturday, Ram Gopal took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to dismiss the ongoing speculation around the casting for his next film, Syndicate. Calling the reports false, the director said that he will share the details when they are ready.

“There are all kinds of speculations going around the casting of SYNDICATE film which are all completely FALSE,” Ram Gopal wrote on social media. He added, “Will share the details when ready”.

Several social media users took to the comment section to express their excitement, and in fact, some shared their wish list as well. “Waiting boss,” wrote one user, with another mentioning, “Please cast Manoj Bajpayee and Anurag Kashyap”.

“It’ll be interesting to see the real details once they’re officially revealed,” wrote one user.

What we know about Syndicate

According to Ram Gopal, the film is set to explore the rise of a terrifying criminal organization that threatens India's very existence. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), he explained the conceptual evolution behind Syndicate, noting that while street gangs were a significant threat in India in the past, the real danger today lies in the formation of a powerful syndicate comprising various factions, including political forces, law enforcement, ultra-rich businessmen, and even military personnel.

Syndicate will address how the intense polarisation in the country today makes it ripe for such a dangerous group to emerge, as per the director’s post. Syndicate, Ram Gopal, explained, is not a film about supernatural horror but rather an exploration of the horrific potential of human beings.

The filmmaker emphasised that the movie will expose the cyclical nature of crime and terror, illustrating how criminal organizations evolve into even more deadly forms over time. As Ram Gopal puts it, “Crime and terror never die; they keep coming back in more deadlier forms”. At the end of his post, the filmmaker wrote: “I took a VOW to WASH AWAY all my CINEMA SINS that I committed over the PAST FEW YEARS with this JUST one SINGLE film called SYNDICATE.”

He has also promised that Syndicate will be a scary film not because of supernatural elements but because it will delve into the dark truths of human nature and the potential horrors that may lie ahead.