Kiran Rao made an impressive directorial debut 12 years ago with Dhobi Ghat, and I remember being mesmerized by her vision while I was watching the film. It has been a long wait since then for her next directorial feature, but as it is said, good things take time. And now, a recent report in Mid-Day suggests that Kiran has already gotten back in the director’s chair, and her ex-husband Aamir Khan is also a part of the project.
Reportedly, the yet-untitled film went on floors on January 8 in a town near Pune and it is a drama-comedy. Aamir is backing the project under Aamir Khan Productions. The film is written by Biplab Goswami with the screenplay written by Sneha Desai, and the story centers on three characters.
A source revealed,
“Kiran’s next is a massy entertainer. Aamir loved the script when she narrated it to him, and instantly agreed to come on board as producer. The two continue to remain friends and collaborators after their divorce.”
The report further stated that after an extensive search, Kiran found the leading faces for her film in the youngster Sparsh Shrivastav, who was seen in Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega and he will be paired opposite two actresses from the TV industry.
On the casting, the source shared,
“Besides the Netflix series, Sparsh has acted in several serials, including Balika Vadhu. For the remaining two leads, she has zeroed in on Pratibha Ranta, who was seen in Zee TV’s Qurbaan Hua, and 15-year-old Nitanshi Goel, earlier seen in Peshwa Bajirao and Karmaphal Daata Shani.”
The film will be shot across different towns in Maharashtra and will also mark the return of composer Ram Sampath and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya to Aamir’s productions after a decade.
The source added,
“The first schedule, conducted in adherence with COVID-19 guidelines, will go on till January 20. Post that, the unit will take a break as per Covid protocol, and resume after a few weeks in the next location. Kiran intends to wrap up the shoot by April.”
Seeing the capability of Kiran as a visionary 12 years ago, I had been waiting for her to get back behind the camera. And considering she has waited this long to mark that return, it just assures me that this is going to be yet another masterpiece and something really special.