MUMBAI/PANAJI: According to film director Maneesh F Singh, his film, “Who Killed Shraddha?”, inspired by the dastardly murder of Shraddha Walkar by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala, that shook the conscience of the nation in 2022, will be shot entirely in Goa. The actual murder incident happened in Delhi and Shraddha hailed from Vasai near Mumbai. “We have adapted the story and script of the film. There were legal issues about the privacy of certain individuals, including the portrayal of the victim’s mother and father. Hence, the script had to be modified,” Singh explained.
“Shooting will begin in mid-January”, he revealed, adding that while the main cast and actors are Bollywood faces, the entire supporting cast and junior artistes are Goan. Technicians and unit hands will also be hired from Goa. We are trying to include as many Goan youth and film workers as possible. Ground transportation, catering, security is all hundred per cent Goan. The film and Tv industry has great potential in Goa. It can bring in nearly Rs 500 crore of annual revenue to the state of Goa. While states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal even cities like Hyderabad are going out of their way to promote film shooting and production, we want to promote Goa as a film destination,” Singh said.
Two top musicians from Goa have been signed on, but Singh said it’s not appropriate to reveal their names at this stage.
24-year-old Mumbai-based actress, Kaseesshree Khandelwal, will play the role of Shraddha Walkar in the long-pending film “Who Killed Shraddha?”.
The director had announced the film earlier in 2023, inspired by the Shraddha Walkar murder case, but it was delayed as the charge-sheet was not filed and the police investigation was at a nascent stage. The production house could not proceed with the film as the entire matter was “under investigation”.
Speaking in Mumbai about the delay, Maneesh F Singh said, “The trial had not started. The investigation was at an early stage. The police were not ready to share any official information as the charge-sheet had not yet been filed in the court. Besides, the families of the accused as well as the victim were in court regarding privacy rights. So we had to put the film on hold”.
“I had decided to do the film, the script and pre-production work was ready, but we could not proceed because of legal hassles. Now things are more clear and we are going ahead with the shoot. I have already incurred a loss of more than Rs 2 crore because the film was delayed,” Singh said.
According to a press release issued by the production, Kaseesshree will play the main lead role in the film – that of Shraddha Walkar. One more female artiste is in a parallel lead, playing the role of a Tv journalist, who is the narrator of the story in the film. Yet another female artiste plays Aftab’s second girlfriend whom he allegedly dated after meeting her on a dating website, while he was living-in with Shraddha Walkar.
Explaning the roles, Singh said the three are parallel leads as each role has its own place and space in the story. He refused to reveal who will play the role of Aftab, Shraddha’s live-in boyfriend who allegedly killed her and hacked her body into several pieces, storing them in a specially purchased refrigerator for over two months.
Who is Kaseesshree Khandelwal?
Kaseesshree is a well-known model who has to her credit several ramp shows, hundreds of print and photo shoots, not to forget ad films.
She has also done two regional films, including one in Marathi and Tamil.
Presently, she has been signed on for the Trinity Purple Productions banner in a one year (18 months) exclusive contract, which includes two films and two web series or music videos, besides other related projects.
Kaseesshree Khandelwal is 24 years old and 5.7 in height and of slim built. Presently staying in Mumbai. She is an ex-Ms Maharashtra Queen runner-up and has participated in several pageants, winning titles and awards along the way.
Her hobbies include singing – she is a good singer and dancer and has done stage shows and events. Besides Bollywood dance, she is also a trained Indian classical dancer and has completed her basic training in Indian music.
Besides singing and dancing, Kaseesshree loves to cook and exercise. Travelling another stress buster for the upcoming star, she explains.
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