Richa Chadha-Ali Fazal board Venice Film Festival film as producers
What's the story
Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have joined the upcoming film Secrets of a Mountain Serpent as producers through their banner, Pushing Buttons Studios (Girls Will Be Girls). The Nidhi Saxena movie is set to premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival.
Film details
Here's the plot of 'Secrets of a Mountain Serpent'
Secrets of a Mountain Serpent, co-produced with Forest Flower Films by Cannes Camera d'Or winner Vimukthi Jayasundara, is set in a remote Himalayan town in the 1990s. The story revolves around Barkha (Trimala Adhikari), a schoolteacher whose husband is stationed at the border. She becomes enamored with Manik Guho (Adil Hussain), an enigmatic stranger who upends the town's balance of "waiting, restraint, and local mythology."
Production insights
We were immediately drawn to Nidhi's lyrical vision, said Chadha
Chadha and Fazal, who founded Pushing Buttons Studios to promote authentic storytelling, expressed their excitement about the project. "We were immediately drawn to Nidhi's lyrical vision. This is a story rooted in myth and yet is startlingly relevant today," they said. Saxena, who also wrote the screenplay for Secrets of a Mountain Serpent, shared her thoughts on the film as well.
Director's view
'Feels like we no longer need to borrow men's voices'
Saxena said, "This film is about women who choose to risk everything and follow their desires, shedding the burden of moralities imposed upon them by the world." She added that she was looking for like-minded collaborators and found them in Chadha and Fazal. "It also feels like we no longer need to borrow men's voices to tell our stories. We have our own voice, which is strong, with femininity."
Production status
The team has already wrapped up principal photography
The production team has already wrapped up principal photography and is now busy with post-production. The film will be Saxena's second directorial venture after Sad Letters of an Imaginary Woman, which premiered at last year's Busan International Film Festival.