Indo-Canadian director, Richie Mehta will start principal photography on his untitled series on the New Delhi police in three weeks from now. “It’s a…
Indo-Canadian director, Richie Mehta will start principal photography on his untitled series on the New Delhi police in three weeks from now. “It’s a compassionate look at law and order in a developing world, from their point of view,” Mehta told Variety in Macau.
The series will shoot on location for three months and will comprise eight 60-minute episodes. It will be one of the first series by U. S.-India outfit Golden Karavan, an OTT-focused production offshoot of Pooja Kohli, Sanjay Bachani and Apoorva Bakshi’s content aggregator FilmKaravan. Film Karavan has investment from industry veterans including Aaron Kaplan, Jeff Sagansky and Florence Sloan.
“It’s a new format for everybody, where you finance the series independently, like an independent film, and then you try and get a license out, so that the producer owns the copyright and the IP, rather than the commissioner,” said Mehta. Global streaming platforms Amazon and Netflix are helping pioneer the long-form series concept in India.
Variety spoke with Mehta at the 2nd International Film Festival and Awards, Macao ( IFFAM), where his “ The Price of Tea ” is one of the three auteur projects at the IFFAM project market. Set in Beijing, the film will follow a Canadian man who falls for a Chinese woman over the course of a magical day only to discover that she is not what she seems.
The $4-5 million budgeted project has raised $2.4 million so far. Mehta is planning a 2018 early summer shoot.
Mehta made his feature debut in 2007 with the award winning “Amal.” His “India in a Day,” the latest in Ridley Scott’s “Life in a Day” series, released in 2016. “The Price of Tea” sees him reunite with “India in a Day” producer Cassandra Sigsgaard.
