Actors-turned-producers couple Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha have revealed that money, in fact, was not the least of their problems when it came to bankrolling Shuchi Talati directorial debut Girls Will Be Girls.
In a recent interview with Indian Express, the duo opened up about their debut production under their banner Pushing Buttons Studios. Fazal confessed that they had no choice but to borrow money to fulfill the production. “We are all from a country that is famous for its jugaad… its ability to figure out a way to get things done. Honestly, we asked for money from here and there, and even broke our FDs to fund Girls Will be Girls. But we managed. Now, it is getting a nice release, and many sections of audience are watching it. It is possible”
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Chadha chimed in and explained, “For instance, this film was edited in France. It received a grant because of the core idea of the film.” Girls Will Be Girls is an Indo-French co-production, between Pushing Buttons Studios, Blink Digital, Crawling Angel Films, and Dolce Vita Films.
Fazal hopes that their recently developed production house can reach new heights and give birth to more projects similar to Girls Will Be Girls. “Our place is open for collaborations, and would love to listen to a lot of ideas. We hope we can produce more films like these, and make it reach a wider audience.”
About Girls Will Be Girls
This coming-of-age drama follows the story of 16-year-old Mira, who is sent to a boarding school on the foothills of the Himalayas. Mira starts to develop feeling for a new student at school, as she experiences a sexual awakening, all while tackling a strained relationship with her mother. Directed by Shuchi Talati, the film stars newcomers Preeti Panigrahi and Kesav Binoy Kiron, along with seasoned actor Kani Kusruti, who recently starred in All We Imagine As Light.
The movie had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20 where it bagged two awards – the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic, and the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting for Panagrahi.
The film also earned two nominations at the 40th Independent Spirit Awards – the John Cassavetes Award and Best Supporting Performance for Kusruti.
Girls Will Be Girls is available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video.
