Waiting (2016)

Interesting facts

Waiting is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Anu Menon. Produced by Priti Gupta and Manish Mundra under the banner of Ishka Films and Drishyam Films respectively, the film was co-written by Menon and James Ruzicka, and stars Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin. Waiting focuses on the relationship between two people from different walks of life who befriend each other in a hospital, while nursing their respective comatose spouses. Rajat Kapoor, Suhasini Maniratnam, Arjun Mathur, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee and Rajeev Ravindranathan play supporting roles in the film.

Production

Made on a modest budget, the movie Waiting was produced by Priti Gupta of Ishka Films and Manish Mundra of Drishyam Films. The film was directed by Anu Menon, her second directorial work after the romantic comedy London, Paris, New York (2012). She also co-wrote the script with fellow London Film School alumnus and former anesthesiologist James Ruzicka.

Pre-production work began in July 2014, when Mundra, a Dubai-based film producer, agreed to produce. Menon wanted an entirely different setting for the film, away from "fast paced city life", and decided to set the story in the South Indian state of Kerala. The film's director of photography was cinematographer Neha Parti Martyani, who had been previously associated with films including My Name Is Khan (2010) and Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011).

Entertainment website Bollywood Hungama reported that Kalki Koechlin was set to star in Menon's upcoming film. The published reports revealed that Koechlin would be playing the role of the young, brash, and social-media-savvy Tara Deshpande. Koechlin's co-star from That Girl in Yellow Boots (2011) and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Naseeruddin Shah, joined the cast after he was approached by Menon, who sent him the film's script in an e-mail.

South Indian actress and director Suhasini Maniratnam made her debut in Hindi cinema with Waiting; she was cast in the role of Pankaja, Shah's character's wife. Menon talked about her experience working with Suhasini saying, "With her experience, she also helped me with a few difficult scenes behind the camera." Arjun Mathur played the role of Rajat Deshpande, Tara's husband, who is involved in a car accident; Rajat Kapoor played Nirupam Malhotra…

Principal photography began in November 2014 in the coastal city of Kochi, Kerala. The shoot for the entire film was completed on schedule in around 30 days. Of the shooting experience, Menon said, "The experience was beautiful though there were many challenges as we were predominantly an all-woman crew." In an interview with The Hindu, Koechlin revealed that throughout the production process, she questioned Menon several times as she wanted to b…

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