Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 11, 2017)

Mirror (October 11) had earlier reported that Radhika Apte who worked in Anurag Kashyap’s 2013 film on eve teasing, That Day After Everyday, will be reuniting with the filmmaker. The actress features in his short, in an anthology — similar in format to Bombay Talkies (2013), tentatively titled and themed Love And Lust.

We have now learnt that Akash Thosar, who became a household name after playing the lead in Nagraj Manjule’s 2016 Marathi romantic drama Sairat, will make his Hindi debut with this Ronnie Screwvala and Ashi Dua production. After the success of Sairat, Akash had gone on to feature in Mahesh Manjrekar’s FU: Friendship Unlimited.

“Radhika and Akash play friends in the film. Earlier this week, they shot over a span of four days across Mumbai, including at the St. Andrew’s school and a popular eatery in Bandra. Anurag has wrapped up his short,” informs a source close to the development. When contacted, the 45-year-old director confirmed the news.

Interestingly, Radhika has not only acted but has also written the script. She plays a character who deals with several complexities in a relationship. “None of the stories are in continuation or a sequel and all of them will revolve around the different equations of love and lust. I can’t say which short I love the most since they’re all my babies but it is great to enjoy the film in totality like I Love New York or Paris Je’taime,” Ashi had earlier told Mirror (June 8).

Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee have also finished their approximately 30-minute shorts. Zoya’s film features Bhumi Pednekar, Neil Bhoopalam and Rasika Dugal as a domestic help, while Dibakar’s film has Manisha Koirala in a never seen-before avatar.