Vishal Bhardwaj's upcoming directorial "Rangoon" will now be co-produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures along with Sajid Nadiadwala and himself.

The period romance-drama film, set in the 1940s, will star actors Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut.

With the music by Bhardwaj, the lyrics of the film's songs have been penned by Gulzar.

"Our endeavour at Viacom18 Motion Pictures has been to redefine a mainstream Hindi film. In that quest, we have always produced films that marry great content with a wide commercially appeal.

"Our unique collaboration with Vishal and Sajid who are filmmakers of great pedigree in their own space reflects that approach," Viacom18 Motion Pictures chief operating officer Ajit Andhare said in a statement.

Bhardwaj says that amalgamating a story with experts from the industry is like a dream come true for him.

"I am delighted that a project so close to my heart has not only started shaping up well, but will be portrayed as an epic story of love and drama in a never seen before avatar," he said.

"Rangoon" is set to release in October.