Anupam Kher Joins Swedish-Belgian Film Out of Fashion in a Story of Family, Identity and Ambition
Bollywood veteran Anupam Kher is set to take on a pivotal role in Out of Fashion, an upcoming Swedish-Belgian feature that brings together the worlds of high fashion, family responsibility and cultural identity. Directed by Swedish filmmaker Jens Jonsson and written by actor Sunil Munshi, the film follows an Indian-origin designer whose demanding career in Paris is thrown into conflict with urgent family needs in Sweden.
Production has begun in Stockholm, with principal photography planned across several European locations. Kher will play the designer’s father, a character whose declining health sets the story’s emotional journey in motion. The project adds another international credit to Kher’s extensive career, which spans Indian cinema, Hollywood productions and independent films.
A designer caught between Paris and home
At the centre of Out of Fashion is Armand Kaiser, played by Munshi. A successful fashion designer based in Paris, Armand has built a life around creative ambition and professional achievement. But his position at a fashion house becomes precarious when he is given just three weeks to create an entirely new collection. Failure could cost him his job—and threaten the career he has worked hard to establish.
At the same time, a message from Armand’s hometown of Sala, Sweden, forces him to confront responsibilities he cannot simply postpone. His father is living with irreversible dementia, while his sister needs support as she raises her three children. The demands of work and family arrive together, leaving Armand with no easy way to protect both his professional future and the people closest to him.
The story takes an unexpected turn when Armand sets out on a journey towards the Himalayas to fulfil his father’s final wish. That journey gives the film a broader emotional and geographical scope, moving beyond the fast-paced fashion world to explore memory, care and the complicated bonds between parents and children.
Anupam Kher’s role anchors the family drama
Kher’s role as Armand’s father is central to the film’s emotional core. While the character’s dementia presents a difficult reality for the family, the story is also shaped by the memories, relationships and wishes that remain important to him. The father’s condition is not simply a plot device; it creates the circumstances that push Armand to reconsider what he owes to his family and what he wants from his own life.
The casting brings a widely recognised Indian performer into a European production built around an Indian-origin family. Kher’s international credits include Bend It Like Beckham, Lust, Caution and Silver Linings Playbook, alongside a long list of Bollywood films. His experience across different film industries makes him a natural fit for a story that connects cultures, languages and audiences.
For viewers familiar with Kher’s work in Bollywood, Out of Fashion offers a chance to see him in a distinctly international setting. The film also reflects the increasingly cross-border nature of contemporary cinema, where stories rooted in one community can be developed and produced by creative teams from several countries.
Personal inspiration and questions of belonging
Munshi has said the screenplay draws on personal experiences, particularly his relationship with his father. That personal foundation may give the film’s family scenes an intimate quality, while its wider themes speak to audiences who have faced the challenge of balancing work, caregiving and obligations across distance.
By placing an Indian-origin family at the centre of a Swedish production, the film also has room to explore what belonging means across generations. Armand’s life in Paris, his family ties in Sweden and his cultural heritage are not separate parts of his identity; they overlap and shape the choices he makes. The result is a story that can consider migration and cultural connection without reducing them to a single issue.
The fashion setting provides a contrasting backdrop. The industry’s emphasis on deadlines, reinvention and public success mirrors the pressure Armand faces in his personal life. His professional challenge is to create something new under intense time constraints, while his family situation asks him to make sense of the past and respond to needs that cannot be solved with a fresh collection.
International cast and creative team
Alongside Kher and Munshi, the supporting cast includes Bahar Pars, Helena Bergström, Krista Kosonen and Astrid Whettnall. The ensemble brings together performers from different European backgrounds, reflecting the film’s international production and its story of a family whose life reaches across borders.
Jonsson is returning to feature filmmaking after spending seven years working in television. He previously received the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for The King of Ping Pong, a recognition that drew attention to his distinctive approach to character-driven storytelling. His return to cinema with Out of Fashion pairs that background with a script shaped by Munshi’s personal perspective.
Filming locations, production and release plans
Out of Fashion is being produced by Way Feature Films and [sic] film, with Beside Productions, Film i Skåne, Film Stockholm and SVT participating as co-production partners. Scanbox Entertainment is handling distribution. The project has also received support from the Swedish Film Institute and the Belgian Tax Shelter.
Principal photography is scheduled to continue between October and December 2026, with filming planned in Stockholm, Sala, Brussels and Paris. The locations reflect the story’s shifting settings, from Armand’s professional life in the French capital to his family connections in Sweden and the wider journey that takes him towards the Himalayas. A theatrical release is expected in early 2028.
With its combination of Bollywood star power, European filmmaking talent and a personal family story, Out of Fashion is shaping up as a thoughtful international drama. Its central conflict is familiar: how to pursue ambition while remaining present for loved ones. But by placing that dilemma within a world of fashion, migration and cross-generational ties, the film offers a fresh perspective on the choices that define a life.
