Drew Pachuau, one of the most prolific filmmakers in Mizoram and the owner of In-House Production, is currently working on a new Hindi film designed for a nationwide audience. To bring this vision to life, he has partnered with J&R Production, another Mizoram-based company. Together, In-House Production and J&R Production are developing what could become the first Mizo-made movie to secure a theatrical release across India.
According to Drew Pachuau, the film is currently in the pre-production stage, and the casting process is well underway. Although the team would have loved to feature established Bollywood stars, their limited budget requires them to look for highly skilled but more affordable actors. He mentioned that they have already found some exceptional new talents who have received professional acting and theatre training from mainland India. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in May.
The production crew will largely consist of professionals from outside Mizoram. The team is determined to hire the best possible Director of Photography. While Drew Pachuau will serve as the Director, the rest of the crew, comprising about twenty members, will be brought in from other states. Filming will take place across Assam and various other Northeast states, while all post-production work will be handled in Mumbai.
The upcoming film will be a remake of 'Rini leh Rina', a story written by Samuel Pachuau and originally produced by In-House Production. The Hindi adaptation will be titled 'YAAD' and will include a few minor changes to better suit a Hindi-speaking audience. Drew Pachuau explained that he chose 'Rini leh Rina' because it remains one of his most critically acclaimed and beloved works. After spending considerable time analysing the story, he concluded that it was the perfect choice for his debut into mainstream cinema.
The producer, J&R Production, along with Drew Pachuau, have estimated a budget of up to 1 crore rupees to cover production costs, publicity, and marketing. Drew pointed out that while this is a massive budget for a Mizo film, it is relatively modest for a mainstream national release. He expressed his deep gratitude to J&R Production for placing their trust in him and taking on this financial risk. He acknowledged that the project will be a challenging endeavour but emphasised their absolute determination to create a high-quality film despite the budget constraints.
If everything goes according to plan, the team aims to complete the film before the end of the year. Provided they can secure the necessary certifications for a theatrical release, they intend to screen the movie in cinemas throughout India. Following its run in theatres, they plan to launch the film on major OTT platforms. Additionally, there are plans to dub the movie into several widely spoken Indian languages to reach an even broader audience.
