And so, Ms Sunita Williams landed safely on earth, after 289 days. I decided to make a biopic on her, film biopics being the flavor of the month. Similar in name to Superboys of Malegoan, my film is titled Astronauts of Mehsana—since Ms Williams has roots  in the small Gujarat city. A young girl aspires to travel to space—she and her three female friends from Mehsana finally make their way to the USA… how they make it, is the essence of the plot. One of my writers suggested we make a chick-flick, four women astronauts, and the fun they have in space, all dressed in pink, like a Barbie meets Apollo 13 world. “We can also make a roc-com (comedy in a rocket), how about the Sunita Williams character lands in space and she meets a Martian and pyaar ho jaatha hai?” one of my writers suggested.

My mind went straight to the casting—who plays the lead, was my primary concern. My casting director suggested—“Sir, suppose she gets into the rocket as Kriti Sanon, and comes out as Neena Gupta?”