Irrfan Khan will star in the movie adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's Moth Smoke

Pakistani novellist Mohsin Hamid's debut novel Moth Smoke is going to be adapted into a film, reports Variety.

The film will be helmed by Asif Kapadia, who directed the critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning documentary Amy on the life of Amy Winehouse.

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan will play the protagonist Darashikoh Shehzad, who's a down-on-luck man grappling with a financial crisis when his rich best friend Aurangzeb moves back to Lahore. In the film, Shehzad begins an affair with Aurangzeb's wife.

The rest of the cast will be decided in the coming months.

“I have been eagerly waiting for something on which I could work with Asif again [after The Warrior (2001)], and ‘Moth Smoke’ excites both of us,” said Irrfan. “We believe it can be set in contemporary times.”

It is unclear where the film will be shot at present.

“Given the ongoing political tension between India and Pakistan, it is not immediately clear where the film will be shot. It is too early to decide on location. We will consider both Pakistan and India for the shoot,” producer Dina Dattani said.

This is Mohsin Hamid's second novel to be adapted into a film after The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which was directed by Mira Nair and starred Riz Ahmed as the main character.

Irrfan, Asif Kapadia and Dina Dattani acquired the rights to the novel. Kapadia will also co-write the film. Dattani will introduce the film to buyers in Cannes.