Gurinder Chadha's Next With Indian Film-Studio 18

The Indian Film Company (TIFC) and Bend It Films have entered into a strategic partnership to produce Gurinder Chadha's next feature, It's A Wonderful Afterlife. The shoot of the film will taking off on 28th March, 2009 in London. The co-producers will enjoy global revenues in perpetuity.

It's A Wonderful Afterlife is a TIFC and Bend It Films presentation in association with Studio 18, and is slated for a worldwide release in early 2010. The announcement was made today by CEO - TIFC, Sandeep Bhargava, and Director - Bend It Films, Gurinder Chadha.

With this announcement, TIFC becomes the only Indian company to have forged a partnership with both the top cross-cultural directors - Mira Nair and Gurinder Chadha.

Chadha's previous works, Bhaji On The Beach, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Bride & Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham have made her a popular name the world over. After a string of successful Bollywood distributions, Indian Films ventured into international film production with the Sooni Taraporevala-directed Little Zizou, a co-presentation with Mira Nair, and Road, Movie, a Dev Benegal film whose script was an official selection at Cinefondation, Cannes 2006.

Sandeep Bhargava, CEO - The Indian Films Company said, "We couldn't be more proud to join forces with Bend It Films to make this fantastic comic script into a reality. Gurinder is an extremely talented and popular writer-director whose films have fared incredibly at the box office. Ever since our team met her in December 2008, we developed great chemistry and I'm delighted that conversations moved at a brisk pace to allow us to work together."

Chadha added, "I am thrilled to have found an Indian partner in The Indian Film Company & Studio 18, as this new film has huge international appeal for the NRI and Non-NRI audience. It's A Wonderful Afterlife is part of a new slate of films by me that have an Indian element but are aimed at the global audience and I am excited to be working with Sandeep, Tanuj, and their colleagues on what I hope will be a long and fruitful relationship."

Afterlife will feature a top multi-cultural cast comprising of the legendary Shabana Azmi, Sendhil Ramamoorthy ('Heroes'), Shaheen Khan (Bend It Like Beckham), and other well-known international names to be announced shortly. Building on Chadha's record for discovering new talent, Afterlife introduces British-Indian theatre actress, Goldy Notay.