Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s debut production, Girls Will Be Girls, under their banner Pushing Buttons Studios, has been receiving widespread acclaim and appreciation. However, the journey to bring this film to life required significant effort from the duo.

During a recent media event, Fazal remarked, “We hail from a country known for its jugaad… its knack for finding solutions. In all honesty, we sought funds from various sources and even broke our fixed deposits to finance Girls Will Be Girls. But we succeeded.”

Richa also highlighted the importance of collaboration with other artists, which can empower many filmmakers to present their work. “For instance, we had the film edited in France and received a grant due to the film’s core concept,” added Richa, known for her role in Heeramandi.

To provide some context, Ali and Richa established their production company with the mission of supporting filmmakers struggling with financial limitations. Girls Will Be Girls marks their first venture.

The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, earning two awards and much acclaim. It gained further recognition when Priyanka Chopra shared her thoughts on the film via her Instagram Stories, praising it as “an honest, beautifully crafted story of desire, rebellion, and coming-of-age. #GirlsWillBeGirls, written and directed by #ShuchiTalati – streaming now, only on @primevideoin.”

Featuring newcomers Preeti Panigrahi and Kesav Binoy Kiron in pivotal roles alongside Kani Kusruti, Girls Will Be Girls tells the story of a young girl attending a boarding school in a Himalayan town in North India.

At a recent press event, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal discussed the financial challenges they faced while bringing their first production to life. Richa noted, “We belong to a country renowned for its jugaad, that ability to find quick solutions. We reached out for funds from various sources and even broke our fixed deposits to finance Girls Will Be Girls. But ultimately, we succeeded.”

Ali added, “For example, this film was edited in France and received a grant due to its fundamental concept.”

To shed light on their initiative, Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha founded their production house with the intent of supporting filmmakers who face financial hurdles. Girls Will Be Girls is their inaugural project, directed by Shuchi Talati.

The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it garnered two awards and received positive reviews. Notable actors like Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik Roshan, and Aditi Rao Hydari expressed their admiration for the film after its release on OTT platforms.

In Girls Will Be Girls, newcomer Preeti Panigrahi delivers an outstanding performance, portraying a teenager in the throes of internal conflict. Her natural and spontaneous acting earned her the Special Jury Award for Acting at Sundance, highlighting her remarkable talent.

The film delves into the complexities of adolescence and societal pressures, centering on 18-year-old Mira’s journey of rebellion and emotional turmoil, intertwined with her mother’s unfinished coming-of-age story.

Moviegoers attending a late-night screening of “Pushpa 2” at a multiplex in Nagpur, Maharashtra, found themselves in the midst of a real-life action scene when police stormed the cinema hall to apprehend a man linked to serious criminal activities.

The arrest of Vishal Meshram occurred shortly after midnight on Thursday and left the audience in shock, although police reassured them that they could continue watching the film as they took the suspect into custody.

Vishal Meshram had been evading law enforcement for 10 months and was reportedly traced due to authorities discovering his interest in the newly released film, as stated by an official from the Pachpaoli police station. Meshram’s criminal record includes 27 cases, with charges for two murders and drug trafficking. He has a history of violent behavior, having been known to assault police officers in the past.

Law enforcement agencies had been diligently pursuing him using cyber surveillance techniques and monitoring his movements in a newly acquired sports utility vehicle (SUV). Upon confirming his location on Thursday, police deflated the tires of his vehicle parked outside the cinema to hinder any escape attempts.

As the film reached its climax, Meshram was fully engrossed when police entered the hall, quickly surrounding him and executing the arrest without giving him a chance to resist. He is currently being held in the Nagpur Central Jail and is set to be transferred to a facility in Nashik soon.

“Pushpa 2: The Rule,” starring Allu Arjun, is the sequel to the 2021 Telugu hit “Pushpa: The Rise” and was released on December 5 in various dubbed versions, including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam.

AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi hit out at Telugu superstar Allu Arjun for his insensitive actions and lack of responsibility following a tragic stampede at the premiere of his blockbuster film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ in Hyderabad.

While addressing the Telangana Assembly, Owaisi pointed out that despite the stampede resulting in the death of a woman, Allu Arjun continued to watch the movie and even waved to fans as he exited the venue.

Owaisi, without explicitly naming the actor, stated, “According to my information, when Allu Arjun learned about the stampede and the loss of life, he remarked, ‘now the movie will be hit.'”

The stampede occurred on December 4 when a large crowd gathered at the Sandhya theatre to catch a glimpse of Arjun and his co-star Rashmika Mandhana. This tragic incident led to the death of a 39-year-old woman and left her son severely injured. Authorities noted that the theatre management failed to make proper crowd control arrangements.

“Despite the stampede incident, he (Allu Arjun) still watched the film and waved at fans from his car on his way out. He didn’t even take the time to check on the victims or their families. I also attend public meetings with large crowds, but I ensure that no chaos occurs,” Owaisi added.

On December 13, Allu Arjun was arrested at his home amid dramatic circumstances related to the incident. A lower court initially placed him in judicial custody for 14 days, but he was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court on the same day. He had to spend a night in jail due to delays in the processing of the bail order.

During the Assembly session, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy accused Allu Arjun of attending the screening of ‘Pushpa 2’ despite police having denied permission. Reddy claimed that the actor did not immediately leave the cinema after the tragic incident, necessitating police intervention to escort him out.

Responding to the issue raised by Akbaruddin Owaisi, Reddy highlighted existing video evidence that criticized Allu Arjun for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowd despite the overwhelming number of fans present.

Reddy also noted that the theatre management had requested police security in a letter dated December 2, ahead of the event on December 4, but the police rejected the application, citing crowd management challenges.