Richa Chadha, 34, and  Ali Fazal, 34

The actor-turned-producer duo have rolled their first film, Girls Will Be Girls, which has been chosen for the Berlinale Talents Script Station programme

When the bustling city of Mumbai came to a screeching halt overnight last March, owing to the pandemic, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal found some breathing space after months of relentless shoots, chaotic schedules and wedding planning. But within weeks, the curious minds knew that they couldn’t waste the free time holed up in their apartment. Wasn’t this the perfect time to set in motion their long-cherished dream of turning producers, they asked each other. “Both of us have had our distinct journeys, and seen what it takes to run a production house  — be it [roping in] investors or directors, hiring technicians or discovering writers. Richa and I have always wanted to tell stories. We have some great ideas and good experiences,” begins Fazal, who felt emotionally ready to graduate to the next step after a 12-year acting career.