MUMBAI: International, May XX, 2024: Lotus Visual Productions, known for internationally acclaimed films such as "Sheer Qorma," which won the Audience Choice Award at the Frameline Film Festival, and "Ek Jagah Apni," the only Indian film to win the Audience Choice Award at the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, announces its upcoming project: a thriller set in Mumbai. The film "Once Upon a Crime in Borivali," centres around the lives of two young men, who in search of excitement find themselves in a big soup.. This marks the production house's entry into the commercial film space, aiming for a major theatrical release.
The film follows a couple longing to escape their mundane lives. This thriller intertwines with a strong element of dark comedy, shaping the film's narrative. Bombay Berlin Film Productions, known for films such as "Loev" (featured at Tallinn Black Nights, SXSW, BFI Flare, and Frameline), "Trijya" (recipient of National and State awards for sound design), and "The Road to Mandalay," which have traveled to several international film festivals, joins Lotus Visual Productions as the creative producer on this project.
Neeraj Churi, an Indo-British producer and the founder of Lotus Visual Productions, expressed his excitement about the new project, stating, "With our new project, we are creating something truly special, blending commercial appeal and a franchise model within a quintessential Mumbai experience. The story is new and unconventional, intertwined with dark comedy, and will keep everyone entertained and on the edge of their seats."
Adding to this, Arfi Laamba, one of the lead actors in the film, said, “I was flown to Lucknow for the narration, a city I adore for its delicious food. It was one of the most exciting sessions. In that moment, I knew I wanted to not only act but also be a part of making this film. It's a fun ride for all ages, especially for the Gen Z audience, who will strongly resonate with it."
Arfi began his career with "Prague" and subsequently appeared in Bollywood commercial projects such as "Fugly" and "Singh is Bliing." His most recent acting project, Avani, has completed post-production and is now ready for its film festival run and distribution.
The film titled "ONCE UPON A CRIME IN BORIVALI" will be directed by Arunansh Bhatt, acclaimed for his directorial debut "Chamachh," which premiered at the 11th International South Asian Film Festival Canada in 2021, won him the Best Debut award at several festivals, and achieved over a million views upon its release across various platforms. His upcoming short film "Yeh Kya Ho Gaya!" (English title: What Just Happened!) is scheduled to have its premiere at NIFF in the Competition section, catching the attention of Neeraj Churi and leading to their collaboration on "ONCE UPON A CRIME IN BORIVALI." In the past, Arunansh has worked on series and films such as Netflix India's "Sacred Games," "Leila," and "AK vs. AK," working with Phantom Films and Vikramaditya Motwane's Andolan Films.
About the film, Director Arunansh says, ‘It was a quirky idea to begin with, and I'm thrilled to collaborate on this project with Neeraj, with whom I have a long working relationship, and Arfi, who has been my first choice for the film since before we began writing the script. I couldn’t have asked for a better team.``
The film is written by Arunansh Bhatt and Chiranjeevi Bajpai, known for India’s first web film ‘U, Me aur Ghar’, along with acclaimed shows such as Amazon Prime’s ‘Highway Love’ and Lionsgate Play's original ‘Feels Like Home’. The entire cast and crew are being finalised and will soon be announced.
About Lotus Visual Productions
Lotus Visual Productions is dedicated to bringing stories of the underrepresented communities to the screen through a diverse array of projects, including feature films, feature-length documentaries, short films, short docs, and social media projects. With active projects in various stages of production in both India and the UK, we aim to authentically represent under-represented experiences on screen and create opportunities for community members both on and off the screen.
The production house sponsors the Kashish QDrishti Film Grant in India through the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, enabling aspiring LGBT+ filmmakers to create their short films. We also promote South Asian LGBT+ cinema by organising theatrical screenings in the UK and curating films for film festivals and corporate screenings.
Some of our notable projects include:
● Sheer Qorma: Starring Shabana Azmi, Divya Dutta, and Swara Bhasker, this film won the Audience Choice Award at the Frameline Film Festival (the largest LGBT+ festival of its kind) and over 50 other awards at Oscar and BAFTA qualifying festivals worldwide.
● Queer Parvaar: A UK production that won the prestigious IRIS Prize in the UK and was acquired by Film4.
● Ek Jagah Apni: The only Indian film to win the Audience Choice Award at the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in the USA.
● Muhafiz: Our first collaboration with Berlin Bombay Productions (BBFP), which premiered at BFI Flare and was nominated for the IRIS Prize.
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