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.

Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor on Sunday released a video depicting what he described as the ‘hellish conditions’ faced by residents under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The video highlighted significant issues including overflowing sewers, unreliable electricity supply, inadequate water access, and heaps of garbage throughout various regions of the national capital.

In reaction to the video, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal expressed gratitude to the Lieutenant Governor for drawing attention to these concerns and assured that the government would take corrective measures.

The footage shared by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena included scenes from his visits to the impacted areas, with one visit taking place the day before. He called on the Delhi government to tackle these “hellish conditions” and emphasized the need to prioritize essential services for the local population.

The Lieutenant Governor conveyed his distress at observing the dire situation of many residents, noting that each incident was detailed in tweets. He remarked that the filthy water visible on the streets was the result of overflowing sewers, not rainfall. Additionally, he mentioned that the suffering women he encountered were from Delhi, asserting that their plight was not a problem imported from elsewhere.

Saxena pointed out deficiencies in the drainage systems within the visited areas, citing narrow streets clogged with silt and dirty water. He said that poor road conditions, inconsistent electricity supply, and a critical shortage of water, which forced women to rely on infrequent tanker deliveries, occurring approximately every week.

He reassured the residents that essential services would soon be made available and announced the commencement of a cleaning initiative on Monday. Furthermore, he pledged to oversee the progress personally to ensure the community receives the necessary amenities for a decent quality of life.

“I urge the former Chief Minister, the current Chief Minister, and the relevant Ministers of the Delhi Government to visit these neighborhoods and experience these hellish conditions firsthand. Immediate action must be taken to alleviate this dire situation,” the Lieutenant Governor urged.

Kejriwal, who held the position of Chief Minister until September, expressed his appreciation to the Lieutenant Governor for emphasizing the civic issues and stated that the ongoing government, now led by Chief Minister Atishi, would address them.

“I thank the Lieutenant Governor profoundly for highlighting our shortcomings, and we commit to rectifying them,” he said. He added that work had started on the roads he had previously indicated were in disrepair and mentioned that Chief Minister Atishi would soon inaugurate these improvements. Kejriwal pledged that all areas highlighted by the Lieutenant Governor would be cleaned promptly, affirming a commitment to resolve any shortcomings that were brought to their attention.