'Pippa': Ishaan Khatter, Mrunal Thakur's shooting schedule begins in September
The second wave of COVID-19 had halted many productions and Raja Krishna Menon-directorial Pippa was one of them. Now, the makers have decided to kickstart the shooting schedule in September. The Airlift director has roped in Ishaan Khatter, Mrunal Thakur and Priyanshu Painyuli to play key roles in his war drama. Based on the 1971 India-Pakistan war, the flick will include high-octane action sequences.
It is said to be a period drama, based on a book — The Burning Chaffees — by Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta. Khatter will portray the war veteran's character, who fought eastern front of the 48-hour-long Battle of Garibpur that started on November 20. He will "require multiple levels of prep [preparations]" and the "reading sessions will begin by mid-August," a source told Mid-Day.
Further, they said, "They not only have to fully familiarize themselves with the Battle of Garibpur that forms the crux of the story, but also have to physically prep from the first-week of August to do justice to the combat and war sequences on camera."
Backed by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur, Pippa is penned by Ravinder Randhawa, Tanmay Mohan and Menon. The movie's shooting will begin in Mumbai and it will reportedly release by late next year. Khatter's character, Mehta, also had siblings who fought during the war in real-life. The actors who will play them are "in the process of being cast," according to Bollywood Hungama.
The makers have not revealed the characters of Thakur and Painyuli yet. Interestingly, she will soon be sharing screen space with Khatter's step brother, Shahid Kapoor in Jersey. The sports-drama also features Kapoor's father Pankaj Kapur. And the actress has already worked with Supriya Pathak in her recent film, Toofaan. As she has worked with the entire clan, Thakur called it a "beautiful coincidence."
Talking about her conversation with the Kabir Singh actor, Thakur told SpotboyE, "When Shahid and I talk about Ishaan, we only speak about how talented that boy is. I can't wait to work with him because the energy he imparts is amazing." Khatter has earlier shown his talent in movies like A Suitable Boy and Beyond The Clouds. His last film was Khaali Peeli.
