Actress Amala Paul who was last seen in the 2019 thriller Aadai, is awaiting the release of her long-delayed Adho Andha Paravai Pola tentatively hitting screens on Valentine’s Day.
In the meanwhile, the actress has announced that she would be foraying into Bollywood with director-producer Mahesh Bhatt’s web series, which went on floors last week, on February 4th. The series also marks the digital debut of both the actor and director.
Helmed by Pushpdeep Bhardwaj, the web series is being jointly bankrolled by Mahesh Bhatt’s Vishesh Films and Jio Studios.
And we roll! Excited to be a part of this journey with the perfect recipe for a dramatic love story set during the 70s Bollywood,what more could have I asked for my Bollywood & digital debut @TahirRajBhasin @_Amrita_Puri @MaheshNBhatt @PushpdeepBhardw @jiostudios @VisheshFilms pic.twitter.com/kIEmEt68U8
— Amala Paul ⭐️ (@Amala_ams) February 4, 2020
Amala Paul plays a North-Indian heroine in the series. Mahesh Bhatt and Pushpdeep Bhardwaj had reportedly taken into consideration almost all of the top Indian actresses and finally decided upon Amala stating that she would perfectly suit the role.
The actress has been training for the challenging role for the past three months to perfect the language as well as the body language, appearance, and style of the character.
amala-paul-bollywood
The announcement for the web series was made by Mahesh Bhatt at the beginning of December, last year. He also went on to reveal that the story, set in the backdrop of 70s Bollywood, talks about the relationship between a struggling filmmaker and a top actress of the era.
A perfect beginning.Happy partnering with @jiostudios on our digital debut!A dramatic webseries based in 70s Bollywood exploring the relationship of a struggling filmmaker & a top actress of that era!The greatest location in the world is the human heart.@VisheshFilms @JioCinema
— Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) December 11, 2019
Rumour has it that the dramatic web series is based on the extramarital relationship between Mahesh Bhatt and Praveen Babi, a successful Bollywood star back in the 70s. Back then, Praveen Babi had broken up with Kabir Bedi and got into a relationship with Bhatt, who, in turn, left his wife Kiran Bhatt (Lorraine Bright) and daughter Pooja to live with Praveen.
There have already been films based on the relationship between the two namely Arth (1982) and Woh Lamhe (2006). While the former starring Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Shabana Azmi, and Smita Patil, directed by him, was entirely based on them, the latter starring Shiney Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut, written by him, spoke of Praveen’s battle with schizophrenia as well as the bond forged between them.
Speaking about Mahesh Bhatt, Amala Paul said, “Some surprises knock on your door unexpectedly. And that’s what this opportunity truly is. Every South Indian actress has a dream of working with Mahesh Bhatt sir. His enduring films always contain strong and sensational women characters that stand to date. I am very excited and can’t wait to learn from someone of his caliber.”
“Pushpdeep Bhardwaj is very talented and clear with his work. After giving the screenplay a read, I was very confident that the series would turn out to be an extraordinary one,” added Amala Paul.
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Chhichhore fame Tahir Raj Bhasin essays the director in the series. Aisha and Kai Po Che! fame Amrita Puri has also landed a significant role. The rest of the crew details are yet to be announced by the makers.
Meanwhile, Amala Paul will also feature in Malayalam films Aadujeevitham co-starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Cadaver headlined by her, for which she also turned producer. She will also reportedly feature in the Telugu remake of the Hindi web series, Ghost Stories.
Read: Ghost Stories Review: Misfires And Meaning In Netflix’s Rooted Horror Anthology
Watch the trailer of Ghost Stories here.