Mohan Agashe’s new project: film on elderly singles, started by friend who passed away

“No, this is not a romantic film, nor is it a thriller,” is all that Agashe is willing to reveal at this point. But he says, “Sharmila Tagore liked the script so much that she decided not to take up two other roles for this one.”

The shooting of the film, directed by national award-winner Sunil Sukthankar, has been completed. “Now the post-production work remains, and I hope interest is shown by good OTT platforms,” says Agashe, who is a psychiatrist and former chief of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.

But to get there, Agashe says, more funds will be required. “Can those who like Sumitra Bhave’s work spend Rs 2,000 as a contribution or perhaps for two complementary seats for a pre-release screening so that the meticulously done research and portrayal of the quality of lives led by single elderly persons can come to a closure,” he appeals.

“This is a therapeutic test and a measure of love that her fans can show. Senior citizens should also take an interest in showing the film to their caretakers as it is not just about elderly singles but the choices they need to make in old age,” he says.

It’s an appeal born from experience. Agashe says it took him a long time to recover the money he had invested in the Marathi film “Astu-So Be It”, directed by the duo of Bhave and Sukthankar. Astu captures the story of a daughter and her father, a Sanskrit scholar, portrayed by Agashe, who loses his mind to Alzheimer’s disease.

“Astu turned out well but the original producer ran out of funds after shooting the film. So I decided to put in all my savings to complete the film and it went on to win many awards, apart from being screened at several film festivals. But I was thoroughly disillusioned when the film did not sell,” he says.

Despite the setbacks, the actor found the experience so fulfilling that he decided to produce the next venture of Bhave and Sukthankar, titled “Kaasav (Turtle)”, which deals with depression and healing. “Issues related to mental health are dear to me,” says Agashe.

The film, despite winning the national award in 2017, did not sell, and the actor refused to produce any more films. But then, Bhave approached him again for a third venture, “Dittee”, which essays the struggle of an ironsmith who tries to cope with the death of his only son in an accident. “I was not keen this time. But when the US-based producer, who had invested the seed money, backed out a week before the shoot, I did not have the heart to be a bystander. I became an accidental producer,” he says.

For “Outhouse”, the muhurat clap was given by Tagore in November last year. Says Agashe, “It is like a full circle when both Sunil Sukthankar and I are back in Bhave’s film.”