Sriram Raghavan mentored Matchbox Shots, the makers of Andhadhun, Monica O My Darling and Scoop, have acquired the rights to Who Killed Moosewala? The Spiralling Story of Violence in Punjab, a book written by Jupinderjit Singh. The book is a crime reporter’s account of the singer’s killing against the backdrop of an intricate web of violence in Punjab. It takes us through his life with some glimpses narrated by his friends, teachers and parents.

The story will not be just about Sidhu’s killing, but the impact of drugs and the violence stemming from gangsters’ growing power in the Punjabi film and music industry. The narrative is more than just a mystery; it paints a comprehensive picture of the dark underbelly of an industry often glamorized, but rarely understood.

The film will take us through the journey of Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu and how he became Sidhu Moose Wala, one of the most-loved international Punjabi artistes of this era and a key figure for other mainstream Punjabi artistes. His lyrics and themes were often seen as controversial, but they largely resonated with the youth around the world.

Talking about his book being adapted into a film, author Jupinderjit Singh said, “From the time the book was published, there has been a lot of interest from various production houses. I was really impressed with the kind of content Matchbox Shots is producing, and I’m thrilled that they’ve acquired the rights to the book to develop it further.”

Producer Sarita Patil of Matchbox Shots says, “We have always found the macabre relationship between the music industry and gang wars in Punjab extremely intriguing. With Jupinderjit’s book Who Killed Moosewala?, we know we have a strong backbone for our story. Dikssha Jyote Routray from Matchbox will take this project forward, and we will collaborate with the best our industry has to offer to do justice to this story.”

(L-R) Sanjay Routray, Huma Qureshi, Sikandar Kher, Rajkummar Rao, Vasan Bala, Radhika Apte, Dikssha Jyote Routray and Sarita Patil at the success party of Monica, O My Darling

Matchbox Shots, the production house that backed the recently released neo-noir crime comedy thriller Monica O My Darling, directed by Vasan Bala, has received a lot of praise. The film follows the National Award-winning film Andhadhun, which was directed by Sriram Raghavan that broke new ground in Indian storytelling. Having set the tone with their unique cinematic sensibilities, partners Sanjay Routray, Sarita Patil and Dikssha Jyote Routray are all set to unveil a stellar lineup of quality stories for OTT platforms and theatres. Their next project is Scoop, which is a dramatic adaptation of a real-life journalistic incident by director Hansal Mehta.

Sanjay Routray said, “We are overwhelmed by the love Monica O My Darling received after Andhadhun. Regardless of the genre, we pull out all stops to support the project. While Matchbox Shots is proud to be working with filmmakers like Hansal Mehta, Anubhav Sinha, Navdeep Singh and Vasan Bala who have made their mark, we are also excited about our new voices like Avinash Arun, Varun Grover, Pankaj Kumar, Smita Singh and Abhijeet Singh Parmar.”

Sarita Patil says, “Good stories have no geographical limitations, which is why we are collaborating internationally with Mammoth Screen, UK, the producers of The Serpent, the hit show on Charles Sobhraj. Dikssha Jyote Routray is creating a limited series based on the 2008 Goa murder case of a young UK teenager Scarlett Keeling with them.”

As for now, the partners are delighted after filmmaker Avinash Arun’s Three Of Us premiered at IFFI, Goa, in the Indian Panorama section, while Varun Grover’s debut feature film All India Rank will soon be screened at an international film festival. Amidst the celebrations, the partners continue working hard to make the production house a perfect home for storytellers.