Actor Sayani Gupta is stepping into a new phase as she launches her production house, Sayani Gupta Movies (SGM). Leading the slate is her directorial debut short film Aasmani, which becomes the first project under the banner.
After spending over a decade working across films and streaming, the actor says the shift towards production comes from a growing need to be more involved in storytelling from the ground up.
“It has been a long dream. I’ve been wanting tell a certain kind of stories and the idea is to be able to create an enabling space for collaboration. We will go slowly but steadily, concentrating on one film at a time. For us the quality of writing, craft, storytelling will always take precedence… and for that to happen, the right kind of time, care and attention needs to be given to every project,” said Sayani.
Aasmani is SGM‘s first production. Starring Revathy along with Daria Bedi and Abhay Kaul, the film has been written, directed and produced by Sayani. While she has earlier co-produced projects like Where the Winds Blow and Upar Neeche, and various short films like Dear Men & Oscar qualifying Shameless, Aasmani is her first full blown production.
Sayani spent over a year scouting locations across Maharashtra. Pune eventually became their base, given her connection to her alma mater, FTII. Handling both production and directing for the first time, was a mammoth task.
Backed by Sumitra Gupta Foundation for Arts and One India Stories, the film brings together Executive Producers Nikkhil Advani, Dia Mirza and Ananya Rane.
Sayani also revealed that she is currently working on two international co-productions in different genres, further expanding her work as a producer.