Tom & Cherry Set for Gujarati Cinema Debut on August 28
Tom & Cherry to Bring Zee Studios Into Gujarati Cinema on August 28
Gujarati film audiences will have a new family drama to choose from this week as Tom & Cherry, led by Siddharth Randeria, arrives in cinemas on August 28, 2026. The release also marks Zee Studios’ first announced entry into Gujarati cinema, giving the film added attention beyond its cast and local production team.
Directed by Dharmesh Mehta, Tom & Cherry centres on a young boy named Tom whose sudden disappearance sets off a chain of events involving a stranger called Cherry. The film mixes family conflict, comedy and crime elements. According to the published film synopsis, Tom leaves home after being affected by his parents’ repeated arguments. His later disappearance places Cherry under suspicion, while the police search for answers.
The film stars Randeria with Dhanya Doshi and Anurag Prapanna. Other listed cast members include Kushal Mistry, Nimesh Diliprai, Aakash Zala, Madhavi Patel, Vijay Raval and Mahi Patel. It has been classified as a Gujarati 2D film and is listed with a U/A 7+ certificate on BookMyShow.
The production team includes Dhea Patel, Ruchit Patel and Sanjay Desai, with Haresh Patel as co-producer. The film has been made under Dhea Filmworks and HG Pictures. Vinod Sarvaiya and Humayun Makrani are credited as writers. Zee Studios is presenting the film, while Zee Music Company has also added its music to its Gujarati catalogue.
For Zee Studios, the release comes as part of a wider move into films made in Indian languages. The studio’s 2026-27 slate includes films in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati and Kannada. Tom & Cherry is its first announced Gujarati film.
Sujal Parekh, Chief Business Officer of Zee Music Company, has described Gujarati cinema as an area with a strong audience base and said the company plans to build a wider slate of Gujarati films and music. The studio has said it wants to take Gujarati-language work to audiences outside Gujarat as well.
That plan comes at a time when Gujarati cinema has produced several films with strong theatrical runs. The Ormax Box Office Report for 2025 placed Laalo: Krishna Sada Sahaayate at the top of its Gujarati list with an estimated lifetime gross of ₹114 crore. The report said the film became the first Gujarati title to cross ₹100 crore and overtook Chaal Jeevi Laiye! as the highest-grossing Gujarati film. Chaniya Toli, Umbarro, All The Best Pandya and Bachu Ni Benpani followed in the report’s top five.
The change in the box office record is worth noting because Randeria himself was part of the earlier milestone. He starred in Chaal Jeevi Laiye!, released in 2019. The film had a long run in cinemas and was widely regarded as the leading Gujarati box-office title before Laalo took the top position in 2025.
Randeria’s connection with Gujarati entertainment goes well beyond films. His production company’s website lists more than 70 theatre productions and 12,000 live performances. His popular Gujjubhai plays have also had long runs, including Lage Raho Gujjubhai, which completed 800 shows over three years, according to industry reports.
His Gujarati film career began with Gujjubhai The Great in 2015. He later appeared in GujjuBhai – Most Wanted, Wrong Side Raju and Natsamrat. His long association with Gujarati theatre gives Tom & Cherry a familiar face for audiences who have followed his work on stage and screen.
The timing of the release also puts Tom & Cherry into a busy Gujarati cinema week. Another Gujarati film, Asambhauuu, is also scheduled for August 28, giving audiences more than one local-language option at the box office.
Randeria has said the film is built around family entertainment and relationships. In his statement ahead of the release, he said:
“Tom & Cherry is a film that celebrates family entertainment, laughter, love, relationships, and the joy of togetherness. The fantastic response the trailer received from audiences has doubled my excitement. This regional story will provide a new and grand platform for Gujarati cinema on the big screen. I am confident that audiences will embrace this film with the same warmth and love with which we created it.”
For viewers, the film’s main test will begin when it reaches cinemas on August 28. For Gujarati cinema, the release carries another point of interest: whether a national studio’s involvement can help a local-language production reach a wider theatrical audience while retaining the family-focused style that has long been part of Gujarati popular cinema.
With Zee Studios now adding Gujarati films to its multilingual slate, Tom & Cherry will be watched both as a new release and as the first step in what the studio says will be a longer association with the Gujarati film industry.
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