Staz Nair Replaces Sacha Dhawan In Crime Thriller 'Virdee'

Los Angeles [US]: British actor Staz Nair will replace Sacha Dhawan as the lead of the upcoming Bradford-set BBC crime drama Virdee, according to Deadline.

The Deadline reported that 'Doctor Who' star Dhawan has left out owing to scheduling conflicts and will be replaced in the Harry Virdee role by the actor, who has also appeared in 'Game of Thrones' and 'Supergirl.'

The full cast for the adaptation of AA Dhand's thriller, which Dhand is writing, has been revealed, including Aysha Kala (Criminal Record, Indian Summers) as Saima Virdee, Harry's wife, Nina Singh (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) as Tara Virdee, Harry's niece and a keen crime reporter, and Vikash Bhai (Crossfire, Limbo) as Harry's brother-in-law Riaz Hyatt. Kulvinder Ghir (Foundation, Blinded by the Light) and Sudha Bhuchar (Expats, Rules of the Game) will play Harry Virdee's parents, Ranjit and Jyoti. Other cast members include Elizabeth Berrington (Good Omens), Danyal Ismail (All the Lights Still Burning) and Tomi May (Line of Duty).

Hans Zimmer has been confirmed as the composer of the theme music.

'Virdee,' which premiered at the Edinburgh TV Festival alongside Sally Wainwright and Nicole Lecky programmes, follows the eponymous investigator who is rejected by his Sikh family for marrying Saima, a Muslim

Harry suffers from abandonment, and now that his young son, Aaron, is growing up and asking questions, he believes it is time to try to reunite with his family. His personal life is in disarray, and he must now track down a serial killer targeting the Asian community.

"It's an absolute honour to be taking on this vibrant and complex story about assimilating culture and what we're willing to do to protect who and what we love," said Nair.
"This show leads with vulnerability more than any detective drama I've ever seen, and it's a privilege to be bringing AA Dhand's hope for his city to life."

Dhawan added, "I have stepped down from Virdee due to scheduling but would like to wish everyone the best of luck with the series."
Last year, Nair played the aristocrat Tarak in Zack Snyder's popular Netflix space opera 'Rebel Moon,' and he also appeared as Qhono in Game of Thrones Seasons 6-8, as per Deadline.

He played William Dey on The CW's 'Supergirl' and appeared in the pilot episode of the critically acclaimed Channel 4 comedy We Are Lady Parts.

The series is being produced by the Magical Society's new UK wing, which is led by 'Saving Mr Banks' producer Paul Trijbits. It has been adapted for the screen by Dhand and directed by Mark Tonderai (Doctor Who, Foundation).

The series is executive produced by Trijbits for the Magical Society and Dhand and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Aside from the United Kingdom, Cineflix Rights is the exclusive worldwide distribution partner.

The Virdee title theme will be composed by multi-award-winning composer Zimmer (Interstellar, The Dark Knight), along with Bleeding Fingers' James Everingham and Shashwat Sachdev. They will also collaborate on the series score with trainees from Bleeding Fingers and Screen Academy Bradford, giving them hands-on experience composing for the screen.