Filmmaker Subhash Kapoor has started the preparation for his next project, and it's not the much-talked-about Gulshan Kumar biopic with the perfectionist Aamir Khan. As revealed by Peepingmoon.com back in July, the Jolly LLB franchise director is next working on a web-series for SonyLIV, the revamped desi OTT platform which has been making noise lately for its critically-acclaimed shows like Undekhi, Your Honor, and Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story.
Now we have learned that Subhash Kapoor has locked in his Jolly LLB 2 actress Huma Qureshi to play the lead in the political drama series, titled Maharani. The multi-season show that marks Kapoor's foray into the web space will see the actress playing the titular character who goes through various ups and downs in her political career. Although the plot details of the project are yet unknown, we heard the show will be a hard-hitting social satire like his earlier movies such as Phas Gaye Re Obama and the Jolly LLB series.
Kapoor will serve as the showrunner and producer on this project while debutant Karan Sharma has been brought on board to direct. Sharma who is an advertising filmmaker and has directed an Internationally acclaimed short film Black Holi (2013) before will make his full-fledged directorial debut with this series. Naren Kumar who's been executive producer on Kapoor's previous movies like Guddu Rangeela is co-producing it.
Maharani will be Huma Qureshi's fourth web project and will go on floors next month in Bhopal. The clutter-breaking actress stepped into the OTT world last year with Netflix's dystopian drama Leila and since then has worked in Dibakar Banerjee's Freedom and Zack Snyder's international project Army of the Dead—both for Netflix and are yet to premiere. Subhash Kapoor, meanwhile, is awaiting the release of his next directorial, Madam Chief Minister. The Richa Chaddha, Manav Kaul, Akshay Oberoi, and Saurabh Shukla starrer is said to be loosely based on the life of Uttar Pradesh's former CM, Mayawati!
