Two young actors from the hills of Sikkim are stepping onto one of India's biggest stages — and their Chief Minister wants the country to know about it. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang met the cast and crew of the upcoming Bollywood film 'The Family I Chose' on 6 August 2026, extending his congratulations and formally lending the state's support to the production.

Aaradhya Rai and Adlin Rai: Sikkim's leads in a Bollywood cast

At the heart of CM Tamang's pride are two names largely unknown to mainstream Hindi cinema — until now. Aaradhya Rai of Ravangla and Adlin Rai of Bikmat have been cast in lead roles alongside veteran Bollywood actors Kanwaljit Singh and Sarika, a National Award-winning actress active in Hindi cinema since the 1970s. For two young performers from small Sikkimese towns to share the frame with actors of that calibre is, by any measure, a significant leap. Tamang called their selection 'a matter of immense pride' for the state, framing it as evidence of 'the growing potential of Sikkimese talent in Indian cinema.' The endorsement from a sitting chief minister carries weight beyond ceremony — it signals institutional backing for the film and, implicitly, for the idea that the Northeast has more to offer Bollywood than scenic backdrops.

A story about chosen family, filmed in Gangtok

The film, written and directed by Ms. Kankana Chakraborty, carries a message Tamang described as 'truly inspiring': that family is defined not only by blood, but by love, compassion, and the people who choose to stand by us. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in Gangtok on 12 November 2026, placing Sikkim's capital at the centre of the production. Gangtok as a filming location is itself part of a quiet, steady shift. Northeastern states have been incrementally building visibility in Hindi cinema — through landscapes, through talent, and increasingly through active state-level encouragement. Chief ministers across the region have used Bollywood adjacency as a form of soft cultural diplomacy, and Tamang's public meeting with the cast fits squarely into that pattern.

What a Bollywood spotlight means for Sikkim

For a small state of fewer than seven lakh people, a nationally released film — one that names Sikkimese towns and puts Sikkimese faces in lead roles — can move the needle on cultural visibility in ways that tourism campaigns rarely match. The audience that follows Kanwaljit Singh and Sarika carries decades of loyalty; if 'The Family I Chose' reaches them, Ravangla and Bikmat travel with it. Tamang's message to the cast was direct: 'May The Family I Chose touch hearts across the country and receive the love and appreciation it truly deserves.' That is a chief minister speaking, but it sounds like a producer's note — and that blurring of roles is precisely the point.