Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; November 26, 2018)

Nine years after making her directorial debut with Rita, a Marathi movie starring Pallavi Joshi and Jackie Shroff, Renuka Shahane is all set to helm a Hindi film. The project, which is being backed by Siddharth P Malhotra (who helmed the Rani Mukerji-starrer Hichki earlier this year), is likely to go on floors in mid 2019.

According to a source, Renuka is in talks with three actresses for her family drama. “She has been on the lookout for strong performers to play the female leads in her project. She is keen to rope in Shabana Azmi, Kajol and Mithila Palkar for the same. Renuka recently met Shabana as well as Kajol and both of them have shown keen interest in it. But they are yet to work out the modalities and sign on the dotted line,” says the informer.

While Shabana is a powerhouse performer, who has struck a balance between off-beat and commercial cinema, Kajol is known for her versatility. After playing the lead role in Helicopter Eela, which released this October, she will be seen in an interesting guest appearance in husband Ajay Devgn’s Taanaji: The Unsung Warrior. Mithila, meanwhile, is a popular face on the digital platform and has acted in Hindi as well as Marathi films.

When we contacted Renuka, she confirmed that she is helming the movie, but refused to divulge further details. She said, “I’m directing a film after nine years. It’s called Tribhanga and is about three women, who belong to different generations. The cast has not been finalised yet, so I can’t speak about it now.”