Anushree Mehta: ‘Mrs. ‘Undercover’ celebrates housewives across the globe (Photo Credits – IANS)
Anushree Mehta, the director of “Mrs. Undercover,” discusses her upcoming spy comedy movie with Radhika Apte playing the lead role of the undercover agent. She also explains how the idea came to be and why Radhika was the ideal choice for the part.
She also discussed the difficulties faced by female filmmakers in breaking into the field.
Durga, who is portrayed by Radhika Apte as an undercover operative, is the subject of the story “Mrs. Undercover.” It was not so simple for him when he was called back to duty after ten years, though. She has since forgotten everything, just like she did when she devoted her entire life to her family. In a recent interview, Anushree Mehta discussed the sources of inspiration for the narrative and the characters.
Anushree Mehta spoke with IANS about how she came up with the concept and whether Radhika Apte’s Durga story had any connection to reality “Around five years ago, I had the idea for “Mrs. Undercover.” a lovely morning. My producing partner Abir Sengupta and I discussed the same idea the same day. He leapt on it, called it a blast, and promised to add it as soon as I finished the script. And it’s obvious that he maintained his word.
He followed by asking if he had ever seen someone who resembled Radhika’s Durga “A filmmaker constantly draws inspiration from whatever that he reads, watches, or experiences in real life and that has an impact on them. My mother is a homemaker, and I grew up in a middle-class family. And ever since I was a young child, I have watched him meticulously complete so many tasks at once without taking a break or receiving any form of recognition, leaving me to wonder how one person could accomplish so much. Could, but hesitates to take more action?
So, I came to the realization that a housewife is the genuine incarnation of Maa Durga—a woman, of course, but particularly a housewife. And I’ve made the decision that I must turn this idea into a movie in order to honor housewives all across the world,” Anushree stated.
Anushree Mehta is recognized for her work in the movies “Ankahi,” “Pati Patni,” and “Panga.” She started out in the entertainment business as a writer, penning a few episodes of TV shows before making her first feature film, a Bengali-language production.
“After almost eight years, I at last become a Hindi feature film director. I spent a total of 13 years making my first movie. That alone, I believe, illustrates how divergent my journey has been from beginning in the business to becoming a director. I have undergone a significant change from writer to producer to producer to director, and I will continue to be all three, the filmmaker stated.
Although Radhika Apte was in Mumbai and Anushree was in London during the lockdown, Anushree remembers working with Radhika Apte and communicating with her via Zoom.
“Radhika and I had planned to meet during the lockdown since she was in London and I was in Mumbai, but we were so preoccupied with the movie that all of our meetings were Zoom calls. During the film’s look test, Radhika and I really crossed paths again after the first time when I introduced her to my movie at her house. But, I was surprised by how similar we were when I first saw him during the appearance test.
“At the time, I was certain that my shoot would go off without a hitch. I had no idea that I would have to prepare for my first film from a distance, and I was really anxious about it. But when Radhika joined me in the movie, everything worked out fantastically. And it was a lot of fun to shoot together.
She added: “I am thinking about building a spy action comedy universe, but I really can’t discuss the details right now.” She then shared what she is looking forward to in the future.
Anushree Mehta is the writer, director, and producer of “Mrs. Undercover,” which she also co-produced with Abir Sengupta.
The movie will debut on ZEE5 on April 14.