Yashowardhan Mishra is understandably emotional as his maiden directorial feature, Kathal, starring Sanya Malhotra, drops online today. But the significance of his emotions is fully understood when he reveals that he lived with the subject for a decade.

“I had come across this news piece that an influential person’s jackfruits had gone missing, and the police and state machinery were deployed to find them. At that time, I had felt it made for a great satire. I had written a short story [based on it],” recollects Mishra.

The incident stayed with him, becoming a part of his subconscious. A few years ago, he decided that it could lend itself to a movie, one that could highlight the power wielded by the influential.

“On the surface, it’s a satire about the police being deployed to find jackfruits, but underneath, there are layers and subtext. We met people, found stories that mattered, and juxtaposed them with the [central incident].”

For the Netflix film, the director couldn’t ask for a better cast than Malhotra, Vijay Raaz and Rajpal Yadav. While he has long been an admirer of Yadav’s skills, he found an able artiste in his leading lady.  

“Without Sanya, Kathal wouldn’t have been possible. She got hooked on to the subject quickly. She is sharp and aware of the world around her. Her comic timing is superb. At the same time, she is humble about the gaps she has to fill in, to bring truth to her character. As for Rajpal sir, we didn’t want to have him as a comic relief. He showed his strength as an actor with this role.”

To Anant V Joshi, Kathal feels like the result of his hard work of years. After foraying into showbiz in 2011, the actor featured in several television shows and web offerings, including Virgin Bhasskar, and Cobalt Blue (2022), before landing the Sanya Malhotra-starrer. The Netflix satire revolves around a small-town police officer who is assigned a case of missing jackfruits.

“I [was called for] a screen test. They shared all the details of the project, including that it’s based on a true story. I saw the clip of the incident, and couldn’t believe it was real. That was my main kick,” says Joshi, who found a perfect collaborator in debutant director Yashowardhan Mishra.

“Yasho told me that he found me honest in my audition. During all these years, I never worked towards fame or popularity. I was focused on doing good work. After this film, my belief has only got stronger about wanting to work with talented people and telling good stories.”

The actor is all praise for his co-star Malhotra. Admitting that he was under the impression that movie stars carry huge egos on sets, Joshi says his perception was challenged by her work ethic. “Sanya is so grounded and giving. She is dedicated and extremely hard-working. She would always be on set on time, would do her homework, and have her heart in the right place.”