While the world is lapping up Raveena Tandon’s effortless performance in her comeback vehicle, Aranyak which, also marks her debut in the digital streaming service space, the actor has quietly shifted focus to her next project. From being the uncouth SHO Kasturi Dogra in a fictitious town of Himachal Pradesh, the actor has shifted gears to play an educated and glamorous elite woman in Manish Gupta’s One Friday Night.

The writer of Section 365, who has earlier helmed films including The Stoneman Murders (2009) and Rahasya (2015) is set to release his suspense drama next year. Gupta claims that while Tandon loved the script of the film, she was hesitant about shooting during the pandemic. “Raveena came on board because she liked my vision as a director. We shot the film in Lonavala through July and August this year after the second lockdown was lifted. There were no junior artistes in the movie and [we ensured] we shoot in controlled locations,” said the director, who believes that the actor’s true potential has not been explored in her earlier films.

“Raveena is a brilliant performer with untapped potential. She has an arresting screen presence, which has been utilised to a great extent in One Friday Night. It’s a performance-driven role.”

Apprehensive about meeting, Tandon couldn’t commit to workshops for the thriller. She resorted to watching movies and attended Zoom calls to prep for the role.

The film is centered on three characters—Tandon, Milind Soman and Vidhi Chitalia. “Milind has done a phenomenal job and will be a surprise package in the film,” reveals Gupta, adding that he conducted a four-day workshop with Soman. “Both actors were sincere. [Their characters] are supposed to hail from the upper strata of society. I have taken these glamorous, good-looking people and put them in a realistic scenario. Although it is a fictitious story, I have researched with doctors and gynaecologists,” says Gupta, while promising to credit the medical fraternity in his film for their contribution to society.

While busy prepping for the release of One Friday Night, Gupta released another film on ZEE5 titled 420 IPC on December 17. “I shot 420 IPC in October and November 2020 after the first lockdown was lifted,” adds Gupta of the film starring Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey and Gul Panag.

Milind Soman and Manish Gupta