Sohail Khan Eyes Directorial Comeback With Sanjay Dutt and Aayush Sharma and the Project Has Roots Going Back Years

Sohail Khan is preparing to return to filmmaking nearly a decade after his last directorial release, with Sanjay Dutt and Aayush Sharma attached to a Punjabi-set romantic comedy.

The project was reported in August 2026 as a film Sohail has been developing since last year, with the script approaching its final stages and production tentatively being planned for later in 2026. A studio partner and female lead were still to be finalised at the time of the report.

If it moves forward as planned, it will be Sohail’s first feature as director since Freaky Ali, the 2016 sports comedy starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Arbaaz Khan and Amy Jackson. T-Series’ official trailer credits Sohail as director of that film.

But there is a more interesting history behind the new project: the idea of Sohail directing Aayush Sharma in a Punjabi wedding comedy predates Aayush’s film debut.

The ‘My Punjabi Nikaah’ Idea Goes Back to Before ‘Loveyatri’

In a 2018 interview with Bombay Times, Aayush recalled meeting Sohail at a gym before his acting career had taken off.

According to Aayush, Sohail told him he had a film called My Punjabi Nikaah in mind and thought he would suit the lead role. The conversation eventually went nowhere at the time.

That story was independently reinforced by Salman Khan in a 2021 interview while promoting Antim: The Final Truth.

Salman said My Punjabi Nikaah had originally been intended for him, but he felt he had aged out of the part. He recalled Sohail later identifying Aayush as a suitable replacement after spotting him at the gym.

That makes the project far older than a conventional 2026 comeback announcement.

Sanjay Dutt Entered the Picture Years Later

By 2025, My Punjabi Nikaah had resurfaced publicly with Sanjay Dutt attached.

Aayush told Bollywood Bubble that he had been surprised when he learned Dutt would be joining the film. He described Sanjay as bringing decades of experience and said he was looking forward to beginning the shoot.

Contemporary coverage described the project as a light-hearted comedy directed by Sohail and pairing Aayush and Sanjay for the first time.

That appears, at least on the surface, to overlap strongly with the August 2026 project: Aayush Sharma, Sanjay Dutt, Sohail Khan, Punjabi culture and a romantic-comedy setup.

However, there is an important verification gap.

Is the 2026 Film Definitely ‘My Punjabi Nikaah’?

Not yet.

The latest August 2026 reporting from Bollywood Hungama describes Sohail’s film as an untitled romantic comedy rooted in Punjabi culture and wedding festivities. It says Aayush and Sanjay are on board, the female lead is still being cast, and formal pre-production is expected to accelerate after a studio comes aboard.

That sounds extremely similar to My Punjabi Nikaah, but the report itself does not confirm the title.

It also says Sohail has been developing the current film since 2025 and that an earlier attempt to mount it was delayed by budgetary concerns.

So the responsible position is this:

The new film appears closely connected to the long-gestating My Punjabi Nikaah idea, but the title and continuity have not been formally confirmed in the most recent reporting.

Until Sohail Khan Productions, the cast or a studio issues a current announcement, the film should be referred to as an untitled Punjabi romantic comedy rather than definitively as My Punjabi Nikaah.

Sohail’s Last Direction Was ‘Freaky Ali’

The comeback also matters because Sohail has spent a long period away from directing features.

His directorial credits include Auzaar, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, Jai Ho and Freaky Ali.

Freaky Ali released in September 2016, meaning a late-2026 production start would put roughly a decade between his last completed feature and his return behind the camera.

That makes “a decade-long directorial gap” accurate.

Calling the new film itself “a decade in the making,” however, requires more care: while My Punjabi Nikaah as an idea can indeed be traced back many years, the current 2026 version may have been reworked substantially.

‘Sher Khan’ Was a Different Abandoned Ambition

Another Sohail project frequently mentioned in comeback stories is Sher Khan, the large-scale adventure that was once intended for Salman Khan.

The August 2026 reporting says Sohail had previously planned the VFX-heavy jungle film but that it never materialised, partly because of the complexity and cost of the visual-effects work.

That should not be confused with the Aayush-Sanjay romantic comedy.

The two projects represent very different filmmaking ambitions: Sher Khan was conceived as a large visual-effects spectacle, while the current film is described as a lighter Punjabi family comedy built around relationships and wedding chaos.

Why Sanjay Dutt Changes the Scale of the Project

Sanjay’s involvement gives the comeback considerably more weight than a straightforward family production.

He brings a very different screen persona from Aayush, whose recent roles have leaned heavily towards action.

Aayush himself has framed that contrast as part of the appeal, saying he was struck by the prospect of sharing the film with an actor possessing Sanjay’s level of experience.

For Aayush, the film could also offer a shift away from the action-heavy image of projects such as Antim and Ruslaan.

That makes the creative proposition more interesting than the family connection between Aayush and Sohail alone.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The strongest story here is not simply that Sohail Khan is returning to direction after ten years.

It is that the return appears to circle back to an idea associated with Aayush Sharma before Aayush had even become a film actor.

The history is unusually well documented: Aayush discussed Sohail approaching him about My Punjabi Nikaah in 2018, Salman independently recalled the same story in 2021, and by 2025 Aayush was publicly talking about Sanjay Dutt joining a film under that title.

That creates a compelling long-gestation narrative.

But the verification distinction matters. The current 2026 project resembles My Punjabi Nikaah closely enough to invite the connection, yet the latest report calls it untitled. Until the makers lock the title publicly, treating the two versions as definitely identical would manufacture certainty where the record still has a gap.

Sources & Verification

This report was independently researched using Aayush Sharma’s older interviews about My Punjabi Nikaah, Salman Khan’s separate recollection of the project, Aayush’s 2025 comments about working with Sanjay Dutt, the official Freaky Ali trailer and fresh August 2026 reporting on Sohail Khan’s proposed return to direction.

The core comeback claim is well supported. The current film is reported to star Aayush Sharma and Sanjay Dutt and to be rooted in Punjabi wedding culture. What remains unconfirmed is whether its final title is still My Punjabi Nikaah or whether Sohail has substantially reworked that earlier project.