While Mimi is still enjoying the run on Netflix, its director, cinematographer Laxman Utekar, has quietly wrapped up his next. But he has donned a new hat this time.
After two successful directorial forays with Luka Chuppi and Mimi, Laxman has now turned producer with his next project, titled Ittu Si Baat, which is being directed by Adnan Ali. Mimi is a remake of the Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy! sees Kriti Sanon play the title role -- it'd about a young woman who opts for surrogacy for a foreign couple in exchange for money.
Like Mimi, Ittu Si Baat, is set in a small town. However, instead of casting leading actors, Laxman has opted for fresh faces this time. The romantic comedy was shot in March this year during the pandemic and the shoot was wrapped up before the second wave began.
The film is co-produced by Shreyans Hirawat, son of distributor Narendra Hirawat. Shreyans says, “It’s a clean family entertainer, set in a small town of Chunar, near Varanasi. Ittu Si Baat is a slice-of-life story of an upcoming cricketer, who falls in love with his childhood friend. A modern take on first love, it’s a sweet, small-town love story loaded with teenage innocence consisting of a talented and versatile star cast. The movie will take the audiences on the journey of Bittu, who learns about the aspirations of his childhood crush, Sapna, and the extent he goes to fulfil her dreams. The rustic setting of Chunar captures the innocence, little dreams and hopes of the youth in smaller villages of India, which is strikingly different from the urban population, but proves that the essence of love and emotions are the same across the spectrum for all.”
Sharing his take on the movie, Laxman Utekar says, “We are looking for opportunities to tell meaningful stories and that is what the film is about. With this film, I am taking on a different role, as a producer, and I’m glad to see it from a different perspective. Every director’s vision needs support, and I am happy that I can be that.”
They have already completed the principal photography of Ittu Si Baat. “We successfully managed to shoot silently between the first and second lockdown with all safety precautions in place. Now, we are planning to release a poster by next week,” Shreyans informs.
Besides Ittu Si Baat, Shreyans, is also venturing into production with three more projects. “We have Mahesh Manjrekar’s Marathi movie along the lines of Vaastav and adapted from a novel. Vishal Pandya (of Hate Stories franchise) is directing a movie for us, which is about the social impact of cyberbullying. It is in the development stage with Sameer Arora writing it for us. We have also bought rights for a biopic,” Shreyans informs.
