Sriram Raghavan was earlier attached to direct Monica, O My Darling

Netflix India announced their upcoming quirky crime saga Monica, O My Darling (2022) at their Films Day event in Mumbai today. Directed by Vasan Bala, the film stars Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte, Sikandar Kher, Bagavathi Perumal and Akansha Ranjan Kapoor. 

During the event, the makers shared that Sriram Raghavan was earlier on board to helm the film that is produced by Matchbox Shots. 

Dikssha J Routray of Matchbox Shots revealed at the event, “Sriram Raghvan was working on a few stories for us and Monica, O My Darling was one of them. But, as we all know, he went on to direct the cult classic Andhadhun (2018). But [screenwriter] Yogesh [Chandekar] kept working on the story for the next five years and then it came to us.” 

Sarita Patil, also from Matchbox Shots, said that the choice of the director for the film was easy. “After five years of working with the script, we were looking for a director and we felt Vasan is the only man who can direct this film. That’s how Vasan came on board.” 

Vasan’s last feature film was the critically acclaimed Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota (2019), which starred Abhimanyu Dassani and Radhika Madan. “Monica, O My Darling has been a dream project for me and we cannot wait to entertain everyone with this twisted crime comedy brimming with mystery and drama,” he said in a statement. “Joining forces with Matchbox Shots and Netflix along with our brilliant ensemble cast to bring to life this unique story has been an absolute pleasure.”