Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s maiden production, Girls Will Be Girls, has started production. The newly married couple’s first production venture will mark Malayalam actor Kani Kusruti’s Bollywood debut. Kasturi has been the recipient of the prestigious Kerala State award, Filmfare award, the Rome Prisma Award and the BRICS international awards in the past.
The film, directed by debutante filmmaker Shuchi Talati, has gone on the floors in Uttarakhand. About the film, Talati said in a statement, “I am overwhelmed by the process naturally and am very excited to make my first film. I feel confident about the script since I received validation due to the numerous grants our project has received. I hope I can live up to expectations. I am working with a fantastic set of actors and a great crew, so I feel grateful.”
Richa Chadha, adds, “I am grateful for these humble beginnings as I always wanted to get behind good quality indies. Shuchi and I have been friends since college and I am happy to be a part of her journey. I am confident she will make a good feature which has huge international prospects.”
Speaking about their maiden production, Ali Fazal, said, “We started this creators lab with the intent of backing new talent. ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ is the apt first film step for us in that respect.”
The film’s story is set in a boarding school in a small town in the Himalayan foothills and follows 16-year-old Mira, whose rebellious coming-of-age is hijacked by her mother who never got to come of age. Earlier this year, the film won the Arte Kino prize and the VFF Talent Highlights Award at the Berlinale Co-Production Market. Pushing Buttons Studio had also conducted a free lighting workshop called UnderCurrent for women who wish to become gaffers in the industry in June 2022.
Girls Will Be Girls won the prestigious Cinema du Monde grant last year. The film is an Indo-French Co-production, jointly produced by Pushing Buttons Studios, Crawling Angel Films and the French company, Dolce Vita Films.