Ready to take her bilingual movie Moothon to Toronto film festival, Sobhita Dhulipala on backing content-driven cinema
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 17, 2019)

It's turning out to be a good year for Sobhita Dhulipala — if she started 2019 with the widely acclaimed web series, Made In India, her latest cinematic endeavour too is a source of pride. Moothon — which also stars Malayalam star Nivin Pauly — will have its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 11.

“The film is part of the special section at TIFF. When I first read the script many years ago, I was blown by it. Now, I am glad that it is getting its due. I am looking forward to showing this film to people at the festival, interacting with the international press and movie aficionados,” says the actor of the Geetu Mohandas-directed venture that revolves around a young child in search of his elder brother.

The bilingual drama (Hindi and Malayalam) has also been selected as the opening film of Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) 2019. Anurag Kashyap, a co-producer on the project, is working on the Hindi dialogues, hoping to meet the October deadline. Stating that the movie beautifully flits from being a crime thriller to a surreal fantasy, Dhulipala adds, “The script is a winner at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, so the story is credible. These movies deserve a variety of audience and not just a remote release in Kerala.”

Does she feel like a crossover star considering she juggles web series with films across diverse languages? “I am a Vishakapatnam girl who has come to Mumbai. I have learnt Hindi to belong here. Today, we are mix of influences as there is greater inclusivity. The idea of a crossover star is dated. I am neither crossover nor a star yet,” she smiles.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 17, 2014)

Filmmaker Vasan Bala who has assisted Anurag Kashyap on films like Dev D, Gulaal and the yet-to-be-released Bombay Velvet (which he has also co-written), is gearing up to direct his second feature, Side Hero. His debut film as a writer-director, Peddlers, was screened in the Critics Week section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

The script of Side Hero was one of the select entries for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab of 2014. The Lab is a biannual workshop for writers that boasts names of Hollywood stalwarts like Oscar winning directors Robert Redford and Katheryn Bigelow as its creative advisors.

Mirror has it that Vasan is in talks with the Main Tera Hero star, Varun Dhawan, to play the title role in this story of a young man who is a die-hard fan of Kung Fu flicks and lives by the rules of his martial arts heroes. However, when he discovers that he may never get to be the hero, his life takes a dramatic turn.

A source close to the development told Mirror, "Varun was completely bowled over when he read the script. He is the apt choice for the role. Given his commercial viability today he can ensure more visibility for this offbeat subject."

When contacted, Vasan confirmed that he would like the young actor to lead the cast but was quick to add that they were only in the first rounds of narration and the final call is yet to be taken.

"The role is a good fit for Varun and I am confident that he can do justice to it. I will have more clarity on it in the coming months," added the filmmaker.

When contacted, Varun was diplomatically noncommittal: "I can't talk about this as I haven't signed the film. It wouldn't be ethical."