In December 2020, mid-day was the first to report that Kiara Advani was set to headline Ashutosh Gowariker’s production, Karram Kurram, which chronicles the creation and subsequent success of Lijjat Papad (Mazedaar lazzatdaar story comes to screen, Dec 5, 2020).

Two years later, in October 2022, the actor reportedly exited the project. While director duo Glenn Baretto and Ankush Mohla were apparently in talks with Malavika Mohanan, it is now heard that she too had to pass the film. Eager to roll the movie in August, the makers are said to be hunting for a new leading lady.

Sources say that the team was earlier set to shoot in February 2023, with the production team having zeroed in on locations in Girgaon. “However, before it could roll, Kiara quit the film to accommodate another project. The makers then went to Malavika Mohanan. The dates didn’t work out as she is shooting for Ustaad Bhagat Singh with Pawan Kalyan. Now, Ashutosh is scouting for a leading lady who can do justice to the story in terms of acting prowess and star power. He is keen to kick off the movie in August, with the primary shoot being conducted at a set in Film City. At the moment, the ensemble cast is being finalized.”

Karram Kurram will trace the true story of how a woman, in 1959, brought together six other homemakers to create a source of income by making papads.

How does a small cottage industry, started with a capital of Rs 80, grow into a multi-crore business in six decades? While MBA students will find a valuable business management lesson there, the Lijjat Papad success story offers a bigger learning - that of self-reliance and women empowerment. Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, who has a knack for bringing classic homegrown stories to the big screen, has placed his bet on the real-life narrative of how the Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Organisation came into being. Headlined by Kiara Advani, the film - tentatively titled Karram Kurram - will narrate the journey of a woman who brought together six other homemakers to create a source of income by making papads.

The filmmaker and his team have been working on the project for almost a year. A source reveals, "The final script has been locked, and it will be directed by Ashu sir’s former assistants Glenn Baretto and Ankush Mohla. Ashu sir procured the rights after Glenn and Ankush told him about the middle-class Gujarati housewives, who started the business in 1959 to reduce the financial strain on their families."

The Mumbai-based women - Jaswantiben Popat, Jayaben Vithalani, Parvatiben Thodani, Ujamben Kundalia, Banuben Tanna, Chutadben Gawade and Laguben Gokani - better known as the seven sisters, had started with the production of four packets a day. The team grew to 200 over the next few months, as they went on to monopolise the papad market and create employment opportunities for almost 45,000 women.

The source adds, "Kiara was the first choice for the project. She is the perfect combination of softness and quiet strength, required to pull off the part of a middle-class woman with a fighting spirit. She signed the film before flying off to Chandigarh for the JugJugg Jeeyo shoot." The movie, to be shot in Mumbai, is expected to go on floors by August-end 2021.