Zee Studios, who are one of the front runners in Bollywood, have also emerged strong in regional cinema. After backing Marathi movies that have fared well at the box office, they now have plans to make inroads down South. While their Hindi slate includes Akshay Kumar's Rustom, which releases on August 12, Nana Patekar's Tadka and Sanjay Dutt's first movie after his release from prison, four other major announcements are likely to be made soon. It will also bankroll National Award winner Paresh Mokashi's next Marathi film, besides six other projects in the same language. Meanwhile, their last Marathi outing Sairat, helmed by National Award-winning filmmaker Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, which has wowed the public and critics alike and broken records, will be remade in all South Indian languages.

Nittin Keni, CEO of the studio, says, “Sairat has achieved a feat that will be remembered in the history of Indian cinema. We're excited to partner with Rockline Entertainment to remake it.“ Akash Chawla, Business Head of the studio, adds, “It has a universal story and the potential to make an impact across languages. We believe the film caters to the realities of South India as well, so we will remake it in Telugu and Kannada, followed by Tamil and Malayalam.“

Rockline Venkatesh, actor-producer and owner of the entertainment company that is co-producing Sairat in southern languages, says, “It is a beautiful movie that touches your heart. I am glad that we have got an opportunity to remake it. This is our first venture with the studio and we are looking forward to a strong relationship with them.“

Ali Fazal, who plays bhanja to Nana Patekar's mama in Prakash Raj's Hindi directorial debut, Tadka, is floored by the veteran actors and insists that vicious villains on screen are emotional sweethearts off it. “They're the complete opposite of the madness they portray. While shooting Nana sir cooked a lip-smacking Goan meal. He wouldn't even join us at the table because he wanted to feed us. It was like watching him in disguise,“ recalls Ali, who romances Taapsee Pannu in the film.

The romcom is a remake of Raj's directorial, Un Samayal Arayil, which was the remake of Malayalam film, Salt N Pepper. “This film came out of the blue but it was such a slice-of-life drama that I couldn't say no to it. Prakash sir believes that an actor cannot just be a performer, he has to be a dancer, writer, to fit the part. We'd show up on set without a script and let the characters unfold,“ Ali reveals. In another first, Ali's father visited the set. “My dad and Nana bonded well and I was overwhelmed by the paternal love,“ he recalls, adding that Tapsee was lovely to work with too. “She plays squash and introduced me to it. We used to sweat it out together,“ he laughs.

It wasn't only work and no play for Ali, who partied the nights away with his cousins in Goa. Ali also features in Aanand L Rai's Happy Bhaag Jayegi and begins shooting for Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar's production, Fukrey 2 in August. “There's also season two of the web-series, Bang Baaja Baraat, and another webseries where I'll play a Goan mafia. So it's back to Goa,“ Ali winks.

Prakash Raj kicked off the shoot of his Hindi directorial debut, Tadka, in Goa earlier this month. The romcom is a remake of his second Tamil directorial, Un Samayal Arayil, which was the official remake of the Malayalam film, Salt N Pepper, and simultaneously released in Telugu and Kannada.

The film revolves around food and how it brings two people - Nana Patekar's food and music-loving archaeologist and Shriya Saran's radio jockey ­ together. Sharing his film's first look, Prakash informed Mirror, “Nana plays an endearing character who is passionate about cooking, his conversations revolve around food. Ali Fazal is his sister's son with whom he shares a close bond. Nana loves food in real life too and has been cooking and baking for the team in between shots.“

The team is aiming to wrap up the film by the month-end. “We have been shooting all over Goa. After this we will proceed to shoot Shriya's RJ portions in Mumbai,“ Prakash adds. The film also features Taapsee Pannu.

The word 'tadka' conjures up images of sizzling hot and tasty food. National Award-winning actor Prakash Raj, who has over 300 films to his credit, is set to serve the audience a 'delicious' cinematic offering with Tadka, which also marks his directorial debut in Hindi cinema.

The film, a remake of Prakash's Tamil hit, Un Samayal Arayil (2014), has an interesting cast comprising Nana Patekar, Shriya Saran, Ali Fazal and Taapsee Pannu. The actor-filmmaker has also tasted success with Oggarane and Ulavacharu Biryani, the Kannada and Telugu versions respectively. The subjects of all the four films are inspired by the 2011 Malayalam hit Salt N Pepper, the rights of which were acquired by him.

While Nana essays Prakash's role and pairs up with Shriya, Ali and Taapsee play the younger couple in this unique tale of love that brews between a middle-aged duo over their passion for cooking. The quirky and colourful comedy will be shot in Goa.

Nittin Keni and Akash Chawla of Zee Studios, which is producing the venture in association with Prakash, say, “The subject is extremely gripping and will appeal to the audience of all age groups. The cast, led by our favourite Nana Patekar, will only take it a notch higher.“

Sameer Dixit and Jatish Varma of Movie Makers Inc, who are also jointly producing the project, add, “We are proud to be associated with such content-driven cinema. This is a never-seen-before combination of Nana and Prakash Raj. And with such a unique cast, the audience is sure to enjoy this light-hearted entertainer.“

Looking at the makers' mettle and the interesting line-up of actors, Tadka, with the tag line - Love Is Cooking - promises to be a dish to look forward to.