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ANUSHKA COMES TO DELHI BELLY WRITER'S RESCUE
By Roshmila Bhattacharya & Ankur Pathak
Mumbai Mirror
Apr 7, 2015
After a leading studio turned its back on Akshat Verma's debut project, the actress and her brother, along with a studio, will bankroll the film for him.
Mirror was the first to report that writer Akshat Verma, who penned the critically-acclaimed Delhi Belly for Aamir Khan's banner, is making his directorial with a quirky comedy set in Mumbai. (July 16)
UTV had come on board to produce the indie movie but then, in a last-minute shocker, had pulled out. The studio's spokesperson had told Mirror, "We did like the script but since the budget exceeded the amount initially agreed upon, we've decided not to proceed with the project," the studio had said.
Now, Akshat has found a saviour in Anushka Sharma who has just turned producer with the well received and critically acclaimed NH10. The star-producer has agreed to bankroll the project.
Karnesh Sharma, informed that he's been friends with Akshat for threefour years now and has been meeting often. "I heard the story when another studio was producing it and really liked it. Things didn't work out and around five months ago, in November, Akshat came to us and we will be producing it," he asserted.
Prod him on when it's likely to roll and Karnesh says that they haven't decided on the hows and when yet. "Akshat is in Los Angeles. He'll be back in a week's time and we'll work out the details then," he adds. And will Anushka who played the protagonist Meera in her first production, spearhead this film too? "No, Anushka will not be acting in this one. We'll go in for a new cast."
Earlier, Neil Bhoopalam who played Anushka's husband in NH10 and Ekta Kapoor's discovery Kritika Kamra who made an impression in the soap Kitni Mohabbat Hai, were to play the lead.
The producer is not willing to talk about the story. All he will reveal is that it's a quirky comedy but not in the Delhi Belly mould. "As a production house we are not fixated on a particular genre. It can be a dark thriller, a laugh riot or a family drama, we are game for anything exciting as long as the concept is fresh. Every film will be made within a budget that will make it a viable proposition," he asserts. "We are in talks with a couple of studios to coproduce the film with us."
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