"Alien thriller is a totally new genre for me."
Akshay Kumar has officially signed on for Samuk, a first-of-its-kind alien thriller that is already generating enormous industry buzz.
The film is to be directed by Kanish Varma and produced by Vipul Shah, with Aashin A Shah serving as co-producer on the ambitious project.
Samuk is being developed as a large-scale pan-Indian theatrical release and is currently targeted for a 2027 cinema debut.
The producers have described the film as a bold blend of survival horror and alien thriller elements, unlike anything Indian cinema has attempted before.
Akshay Kumar wasted no time in confirming his involvement and expressing genuine enthusiasm for the unconventional and exciting new project.
“Yes, I’ve signed this film. I found the script and subject of Samuk fascinating.
“Alien thriller is a totally new genre for me and also for our films. I am very excited about it.”
Producer Vipul Shah echoed that sense of ambition, framing the film as a deliberate and considered creative leap for Indian cinema.
“We always try to challenge ourselves with different genres, and Samuk is something Indian cinema hasn’t attempted before.
“Our aim is to create a world-class alien thriller for audiences.”
Director Kanish Varma, known for Sanak, Inside Edge and Glory, has spent more than two years developing the project with Shah.
He revealed that the film grew organically from his deep personal love for elite security forces and classic science-fiction horror storytelling.
“Samuk was born from my love for the SPG world and survival thrillers like Alien and Predator.
“Bringing those influences together with Akshay sir has been surreal.”
One of the most significant aspects of Samuk is its strong and deliberate emphasis on practical creature effects over computer-generated imagery.
The creature is being designed to exist physically on set. Varma was emphatic about why this approach was central to his vision for the film:
“I always wanted the creature to feel physically real on set. That old-school tactile horror is what made films like Alien timeless.”
To bring this vision to life, the production has brought in Academy Award-nominated creature effects designer Alec Gillis from Hollywood.
Gillis is a legend in the world of practical creature filmmaking with a career spanning nearly five decades in the industry.
His extraordinary credits include work on the Alien and Predator franchises, Alien: Romulus, Starship Troopers, Smile, It and Tremors.
Gillis spoke warmly about his collaboration with Varma and the shared commitment to creating something genuinely new and visually extraordinary.
“Our goal is to create an alien predator unlike anything audiences have seen before.”
The action sequences for Samuk will be overseen by British stunt coordinator Luke Tumber.
Tumber’s credits include Mission: Impossible, the Venom films, Star Wars, No Time To Die and Marvel’s Vision Quest, among many others.
Akshay Kumar was last seen in director Priyadarshan’s Bhooth Bangla.
He will also be seen in Welcome to the Jungle before Samuk arrives to push the boundaries of Indian genre filmmaking in 2027.
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