Deepa Mehta will direct “Troilokya”, a thriller about an Indian woman known as a serial killer. The production is through pan-Asian film company Through the Lens Entertainment and India’s Open Air Films.
Set in 19th century Calcutta during the British rule, the story sees a prostitute embark on an unheard of murder spree. For more than a decade, she has been pursued by detective Priyonath Mukhopadhyay. The script, written by Juhi Chaturvedi (“Piku”), moves through eccentric relationships filled with lust, obsession, revenge and hatred.
Production is set for August and September with locations including India and Thailand. Although Lens Entertainment is looking to appoint a distributor and is eyeing a theatrical release in India, with digital distribution in international territories.
“The challenge of portraying a serial killer as a heroine is what intrigued me the most about Troilokya. “Is it possible to muster any sympathy for this child bride-turned-prostitute-turned-murderer?” is a question I ask myself. And the answer is always an unequivocal yes, Mehta said in a statement. “Her journey in British colonized India is, I think, astounding. ‘Troilokya’ finally leaves the image of long-suffering, obedient and husband-adoring Indian women with mind-boggling compassion. “Troilokya” was a pointless project to resist. I can’t wait to be on set and say “Action!”
Mehta is no stranger to controversy or bold female leads. Her Elements trilogy covers a variety of topics, including female sexual identity, the partition of India, pre-colonial oppression of women and the caste system. Her 1996 “Fire,” considered a lesbian film classic in some circles, sparked violent demonstrations against movie theater operators, a government backlash against the Censor Board that had left the picture uncut, and vigils for and against the film. The Land (1998) deals with the partition of India and Pakistan, seen from the perspective of a child. The Oscar-nominated Water (2005), set in the world of widows in an ashram, dealt with child marriage and misogyny and attracted violent protests during filming in India, forcing the production to move to Sri Lanka.
Mehta went on to direct Midnight’s Children (2012), an adaptation of the book that led to its author Salman Rushdie being placed under a fatwa by religious extremists; and “Funny Boy” (2020), which tells a story of gay sexual awakening against the backdrop of clashes between Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese and Tamil communities.
‘Troilokya’ teaser will be directed by Deepa Mehta.
Through the Entertainment lens
“Not only is ‘Troilokya’ a spectacular historical drama, but also a magnificently twisted love story about never-before-heard true events,” said Aditya Chand, director and producer at Through the Lens Entertainment. “Juhi Chaturvedi, who is so good at pushing the boundaries of Hindi cinema, has truly brought this incredible story to life in such magnificent and vibrant ways. I can’t wait to see it all come together under Deepa Mehta’s excellent direction and vision as it has been years in the planning. It feels right to lead such a powerful team led by women.”
“The stories we love to tell most at Open Air Films are compelling social commentary told authentically with the intention to entertain,” said co-producers Sameer Pitalwala, Priya Sridharan, Wasim Khan and Ruchir Joshi of Open Air Films. “What piqued our interest in Troilokya was not only the story of our lead, but that her journey into darkness was also a reflection of deep-rooted gender and class inequalities that are relevant even today.”
Through the Lens Entertainment is backed by Chand and Bruce Berman, senior executive, who previously served as CEO and chairman of Village Roadshow Pictures.
The company is headquartered in Singapore with operations in the US and Japan. It aims to combine the capabilities of the East and the strength and experience of studio systems in the West “to offer a new studio ecosystem outside of Asia that is built for the digital age.”
Chand said earlier Diversity that the company would typically be involved in projects with budgets of $1.5 million to $25 or $30 million, and that the slate would include local and English-language projects, feature films, and limited television series.
His current projects include “The Incident Report” with Britt Lauer (“Severance”), directed by Naomi Jay and executive produced by Charlie Kaufman; “Left-Handed Girl,” a Taiwanese feature film directed by Shih Ching Shou (“Tangerine”) and produced by Sean Baker (“The Florida Project”); and “Skysong,” a South Asian fairy tale developed as a comic book and feature film with Freida Pinto and her company Freebird Films.
