As first-time producers, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal were clear about what they were looking for—interesting voices. Director Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls ticked that box. Now, as the film is wrapped up, it’s the perfect time for Chadha to reflect on her learnings from her maiden production. “As producers, Ali and I wanted to aid Shuchi. During the jamming sessions with her, we peppered it with things that are unique to our childhood,” she says, as they bring the story of a 16-year-old in a boarding school, to screen. 

Since the coming-of-age drama, starring Kani Kusruti, is set in the ’90s, Chadha says it was a nostalgic ride. “[We’ve depicted the practice of] prank calls from boys that came to our landline phones. If the parents answered, the boy on the other end wouldn’t speak. The cell-phone generation can’t relate to it, but it’s a peek into a different time when young love was simpler. Those long phone calls at nights are something that we all spoke about and added to the film.”