She made her Bollywood debut opposite superstar Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Asoka’, but her acting career didn't go very far. After a bumpy ride as an actress, Hrishitaa Bhatt has turned producer with ‘Shakal Pe Mat Jaa’ and says the transition was always on her mind.
"I started as an actress, but being a producer was always on my mind. Shubh Mukherjee (writer and director of the film) is an old friend. He came to me with the script and I decided to produce it. The story developed into a lovely script. It is a comical satire," Hrishitaa said.
"I have had a little practical knowledge of what goes into production - whichever films I worked in, I used to see what production was all about. I am really happy with the way this film has turned out. It was initially difficult, but everyone has been very cooperative and worked really hard," said the 30-year-old, whose production house is called IPIX Movies.
‘Shakal Pe Mat Ja’ is about four boys who are detained at the Delhi international airport on a high-alert day. They are caught while filming the landing of an American Airlines aircraft. They explain to the authorities that they needed the footage for their documentary film, but this is not taken seriously and they are sent for interrogation.
The film deals with goof-ups, mistaken identities. Co-produced by IPIX Movies and Linc Entertainment, the cast includes Shubh, Pratik Katare, Saurabh Shukla, Raghuveer Yadav and Aamna Shariff.
Hrishitaa, who featured in films like ‘Ab Tak Chhappan’, ‘Charas: A Joint Operation’, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Haasil’, is happy with changes in the industry.
" The industry has changed big time. Technology has improved. It is good to see that we are adapting to cultural changes," she said.
However, even before the release, the film has got into trouble with the censor board over the use of some words in the promos.
The actress said she's quite confused about the objections raised, adding: "I really don't understand because I have seen other bold commercial films. They have raised objections over the language used in the promos. The issue still needs to be sorted out."