Newbie Sharmila Mandre to step into Deepti Naval's shoes, completing the lead trio in Khalid Mohamed's retelling of the Sai Paranjpye classic.
Mirror was the first to report that Sai Paranjpye's 1983 classic Katha is being remade by Khalid Mohamed. Subsequently, it was learnt that Sohum Shah of Ship of Theseus fame would essay Farooque Shaikh's role while Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub of Raanjhanaa would step into Naseeurddin Shah's shoes.
Now, we have learnt that after months of auditions the makers have finalised newcomer Sharmila Mandre to play the part enacted by Dipti Naval in the original. While Sharmila has done several films in the South, the Katha remake will mark her Bollywood debut.
Confirming the same, Khalid told Mirror, "We wanted to introduce a new girl in the film. It was always the plan. But I didn't know it would be such a huge challenge! We auditioned so many girls that I perhaps ended up meeting more women than I ever have in my whole life," he laughed, adding, "After two months of extensive search, we finally found Sharmila!"
Khalid reveals that it was veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal's advice that helped him while finalising the girl. "He always told me that when you are launching a new actor, always identify a USP. Sharmila has the right balance of natural beauty, glamour and acting talent," he said.
Anjum Rizvi, who's putting together the project with Khalid, added, "With the trio in place, I think we are ready to tell our Katha."
The film will go on floors in January and while the original was shot in a chawl in Churchgate, the remake will be shot in a similar locality in Andheri.
"There are several chawls which are still present in south Mumbai, but shooting in an uncontrolled environment can be quite a task. We've found a nice place in Andheri which lends itself very well to the film's setting," Khalid said.
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