Nutan’s granddaughter Pranutan to make her Hollywood debut with ‘Coco & Nut’ opposite American actor Rahsaan Noor

What does a new beginning feel like? A lot like love. Actor Pranutan Bahl–granddaughter of legendary Indian actor Nutan–is set to star in her maiden Hollywood feature ‘Coco & Nut’, opposite American actor-filmmaker Rahsaan Noor. Billed as a ‘spirit-lifting romance’, the charming love story is directed by Rahsaan Noor. This marks his first film since the critically acclaimed 2018 Bengali Beauty, the highest grossing Bengali language movie of all time which captured hearts and was also the first to release in the USA, UK, and China.

“Feeling worthless, an ambitious young woman (Pranutan) fighting to save her marriage gets a pick me up from her know-it-all college sweetheart (Rahsaan),” the official logline of Coco & Nut reads.

Production of the film, primary in English with some Hindi dialogues, will take place entirely in Chicago from June to July this year, with a diverse cast and crew drawn from both the United States and India. After films like Salman Khan backed ‘Notebook’ (2019) and comedy drama Helmet (2022), the upcoming film marks Pranutan Bahl’s International debut and promises to be a significant milestone in her career.

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Pranutan hails from a distinguished lineage of actors, with her father being the renowned Mohnish Bahl and her grandmother being the legendary Nutan. Actor Kajol is her aunt. “I’ve always wanted to do a romantic drama,” Pranutan expressed. “‘Coco & Nut’ is a beautiful story in which my character, Nut, journeys through a transformative phase in her life. I’m so grateful that I make my international debut with a movie like that.”

The screenplay for the film was inspired by a text message Rahsaan Noor received from his college sweetheart five years after she broke his heart and deals with the intricate relationship dynamics faced by Millennials and Gen Z; exploring the trend of delayed marriage and its impact on modern love.

“I’m really grateful to be getting another opportunity to make a film,” Rahsaan Noor said. “That too on a subject that is not only personal to me but also a subject that I’ve found so many people around the world relate to — when looking for your life partner, how do you really know if you’ve found the one?”

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“I grew up like so many other second generation South Asian Americans — with a love for our movies from the motherland. That’s why we’re making Coco & Nut in English and in Hindi. It’s a privilege to be working with Pranutan on this film. From the moment I saw her in ‘Notebook’, I was taken by her talent and knew that I had to work with her one day,” the actor-filmmaker added.

Written by Rahsaan Noor and Raghav Murali, with additional screenplay credited to Priyamvada Singh, the film is produced by Hamilton Moving Pictures’ Chad Shields, alongside Ranjith Rajasekharan and Raghav Murali.

“Coco & Nut’ is a deeply moving film that captures the universal themes of love, resilience, and cultural identity,” stated Shields. “It’s a timely exploration of both the immigrant experience and younger generations’ evolving relationship dynamics. The picture will prove to be a poignant reflection of our modern, interconnected world.”

Co-financing the project are Noor’s Ziryab Films, Henry Leong’s Macuverse, and Executive Producers Mashruk Zahid and Lasaly Changkachith. The film is slated to release in 2025.