In 2016, Phantom Films produced their first Gujarati film, Wrong Side Raju, starring Pratik Gandhi and Asif Basra. The film was its first attempt at producing regional cinema. Now the production house, owned by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena Varma and Vikas Bahl, is venturing into Marathi cinema with director Makarand Mane’s YoungRaad. The film will star Chaitanya Deore, Saurabh Padvi, Shiv Wagh and Jeevan Karalkar.
YoungRaad is a slang for vagrant boys. This is Mane’s second film after the hugely acclaimed Ringan: The Quest (2017).
Describing the film, producer Vitthal Patil said in an official statement, “Fascinating tale of four adolescent boys, YoungRaad is a story that showcases the importance of friendship, innocence, love, family and values in those vulnerable years. It aims to inspire the audience to reflect on their own life choices and that of others so that no matter where they come from, how old or young they may be and above all to remind them — that it is not our mistakes but what we do to correct them, is what defines us.”
Speaking about Phantom’s step to venture into Marathi cinema, Madhu Mantena Varma said, “We are happy to venture into the Marathi Regional space with YoungRaad. It’s a powerful tale of four YoungRaads who lose each other only to find out who they themselves truly are. Marathi Cinema has inspiring content and powerful stories to tell with strong starcast and we are proud to be a part of bringing it to our audiences.”
YoungRaad will be released on 6 July.