BOMBAY TIMES (August 13, 2019)

After backing award-winning films like Newton and Masaan, producer Manish Mundra is gearing up to make his directorial debut in Bollywood, with an untitled social drama inspired by true events.

Manish, the founder-producer of Drishyam Films, is also an author and photographer. Talking about his foray into direction , he says, “Deep down in my heart, there was always a desire to make my own film. However, because of other engagements and priorities, I started with producing films, which I will continue to do. I believe that this is the right time to take the next step in my creative journey.”

The film, whose screenplay will be penned by Dedh Ishqiya writer Darab Farooqui, will be co-directed by writer-director Supreet K Singh. It has been inspired by a woman, whose ordeal left a deep impact on Manish. Manish shares, “For some time now, I have been following the story of this Indian woman, and her battle against the corrupt confluence of politics, police and judiciary. It had such an impact on me that I decided to bring this important tale to the world.”

To be shot extensively in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, by renowned cinematographer Avinash Arun, the film will go on floors in January 2020.

Since setting up his banner in 2015, Manish has been nurturing high-quality independent cinema, which has not only won acclaim at international film festivals, but has also been appreciated by the audience. Drishyam Films has four movies on its slate this year, three of which are co-produced with Jio Studios. Their upcoming releases include National Award-winning Bengali director Suman Ghosh’s Hindi debut, Adhar; veteran actor Seema Pahwa’s directorial debut Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi (starring Konkona Sensharma and Vikrant Massey among others), and Umrika director Prashant Nair’s anthology feature, Tryst With Destiny. Along with these, they have also produced their first regional feature, a Marathi film titled Ghaath, which has been directed by Chhatrapal Ninawe and stars actor Jitendra Joshi.