Lakshmi Iyer on getting Ananth Mahadevan, Renuka Shahane to act in ‘First Second Chance’

Mumbai : As filmmaker Lakshmi R. Iyer gears up for her upcoming short film titled ‘First Second Chance’, she reveals why she would not have made the film without the two veteran actors – Ananth Mahadevan and Renuka Shahane.Sharing how the idea of the short film came about, Lakshmi told IANS: “I have started spending more quality time with my parents only since last year’s lockdown like all of us because otherwise, we are living quite a busy life. With my keen observation, I realised how my parents have so much love for each other, even though they are living together for years…there are so many silent moments, few gestures, some daily habits that reflect their love for each other. I realised the true meaning of companionship and that is why I started writing a story around it.”She adds, “However, I wasn’t sure if I can turn a small story, filled with some tender moments, into a film and if any actor would show interest.

I knew Ananth ji before so I was sharing the story idea with him on phone and he quite promptly said, ‘Don’t wait, just make it into a film!’. I asked him if he would be acting in it, and he agreed.”However, she mentioned that for the female protagonist, she had Renuka in mind.”From the time I was writing the script, I was only thinking about Renuka as my female protagonist. There is a vivacious smile she has that lights up the screen, at the same time she is such a nuanced actress as well as a film director. Bringing her on board empowered me to tell this story.”Asked about why the middle-age love story is an under-explored space in mainstream Bollywood and Lakshmi replied, “Honestly speaking, I think today’s generation do not even know what real love is. This idea of dating, getting bored with each other, breaking up, moving on…all these are very conditional. Real love happens with companionship that our parents’ generation celebrates. Mainstream entertainment space provides all things popular.”Lakshmi directed several short films like ‘Appa’, ‘Wrong Mistake’, ‘Seasoned with Love’.The film ‘First Second Chance’ will start its next shooting schedule from August 20.