# Vikrant Rai directs Azamgarh-set love story Cousin Isha 2026-08-21T10:26:36+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Actor and director Vikrant Rai is set to release his upcoming film Cousin Isha, a love story shot entirely in his hometown Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The film, which he also directs, aims to change the perception of the city as a setting only for crime stories, instead showcasing its rural beauty through sunrise and sunset visuals. Initially planned for Kanpur, the shoot was shifted to Azamgarh after logistical issues, leading Rai to take over as director and start a production house to complete the project. Rai says Cousin Isha has a unique twist that will be revealed as the story progresses. The film features music by singers Shaan, Shahid Mallya, and Rahul Mishra, and stars Rai alongside Surabhi Talodia, Anjuman Saxena, Naresh Gosain, and Prateek Pachauri. This will be Rai's fifth feature film. He aims for a good theatrical release despite limited resources. Born in Kaptanganj, Azamgarh, Rai began his career in television shows like Kavyanjali and Ghar Ki Laxmi Betiyann before moving to cinema. He is now fully focused on films. ## Indian Opinion Analysis paragraphs_below_summary_in_actual_publishing_pipeline_not_shown_here_but_prefilled_for_your_internal_processing_and_deduplication_purposes_only_never_appear_in_output_json ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com neutral framing presenting actor's plans without editorial comment This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Azamgarh, Vikrant Rai Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/vikrant-rai-directs-azamgarh-set-love-story-cousin-isha/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/vikrant-rai-directs-azamgarh-set-love-story-cousin-isha/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/