The upcoming horror-comedy film Chudail is gearing up to terrify and entertain audiences with a unique blend of music, rivalry and supernatural elements. With Sunny Leone in the titular role, and Mandana Karimi playing her adversary, the film’s cast also includes Southern star comedian Brahmanandam, Sunil Verma (the antagonist in Pushpa), Rahul Dev and Dev Gill.

Produced by Mahendra Dhariwal along with Rocky Sandhu (it is his landmark 50th film) and Paramveer Sandhu and directed by T L V Prasad, Chudail  marks a grand return to the supernatural genre for its lead star cast.

“My 1997 film of the same name was a super-duper hit, so we renamed ‘Lucky’ to ‘Chudail,’. Further with horror films trending nowadays, the release is perfectly timed,” Dhariwal justified the reason for change in title. 

“The core plot of Chudail revolves around an intense professional conflict. Both Sunny Leone and Mandana Karimi portray singers in the film who are fierce and uncompromising competitors,” reveals Dhariwal adding that the conflict is pushed to its limits.

To capture the eerie, larger-than-life atmosphere required for a supernatural thriller, he emphasizes, “The film has a Royal Backdrop in Uttar Pradesh and Haveli setting as it is almost entirely shot in a colossal, authentic royal palace in Bulandshahr.”

“This horror-comedy features a total of five distinct songs meticulously woven into the narrative. The absolute highlight of the soundtrack is a specific, bone-chilling recurring ‘haunted song’. Instead of playing just once, this signature track is strategically split across the narrative,” Dhariwal mentioned.

Revealing that Zee Music Company has acquired the music rights, he said, “While the recurring haunted anthem brings the chills, the remaining four tracks are designed as soft, soaring romantic songs to balance out the horror.”

The highly anticipated horror-comedy Chudail is currently on track for a grand theatrical release by September-end.

The decision to release the film by late September is highly strategic. Recognizing a major shift in audience preferences, the producer notes, “It is the trend of horror films nowadays, and hence its timely release.”

Looking beyond the horror genre, Mahendra Dhariwal along with Rocky Sandhu and Paramveer Sandhu is mounting the most ambitious project of his career, titled Mahadev Ki Mahima.

“Setting a new benchmark for Indian cinema, this mythological venture will be driven by advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology with big artist dubbing that is visualized on a grand scale with a staggering budget of Rs. 150 Crores,” he conveyed.

Adding to his high-octane lineup, Dhariwal also confirmed that ‘Maa Tujhhe Salaam 2’ is in the pipeline, “Following the massive action-patriotic legacy of the original 2002 hit, this sequel is being designed to bring high-stakes drama back to the silver screen.”

In 2018, actor-writer-director Pravin Tarde created waves with his directorial Mulshi Pattern. The Marathi film turned out to be a one of the hits of that year and also resulted in talks for a Hindi remake. While we had recently written about the shooting for the Hindi version, titled Antim: The Final Truth, having begun, we have now learnt that Mulshi Pattern is getting more remakes.

The film highlighted the hardships faced by farmers, who sold off their lands to builders and, due to no knowledge of savings, slipped into poverty soon after. It also spoke about the young generation from these farming families taking to crime.

Speaking to us, Tarde shares, “The movie is being remade in three south Indian languages — Telugu, Tamil and Kannada. I am working on the project with actor Dev Gill. Though I am not associated with the Hindi version (Mahesh Manjrekar is directing it with Aayush Sharma in the lead), I will be directing, writing and acting in the south versions.”

When asked if audiences will relate to the movie down south, Tarde answers, “Like Mulshi in Pune, the situation is the same with farmers from Bengaluru and Chennai where IT parks and industries have been set up on erstwhile farm lands. The topic is relatable across the country.”

He also informs us that most of the cast will remain the same as the Marathi version. “I will play the role of an inspector, while the lead actors will be from the south industry,” he says.

Tarde is simultaneously busy with multiple projects. He has announced the sequel of the Marathi film Deool Band and is awaiting the release of the historical Sarsenapati Hambirrao. “I will soon start working on a love story titled Kolhapur To Buldhana Via Israel. The film will see a boy from Kolhapur and a girl from Buldhana, who are in love, heading to Israel to understand farming techniques and improve the condition of agriculture back home,” Tarde shares.