Apurva Kasaravalli offers lead role to Aditi Rao Hydari in his Bollywood debut

Apurva Kasaravalli, the son of acclaimed director Girish Kasavaralli, has got his ticket to Bollywood. His first stint at direction was Niruttara, starring Rahul Bose, Bhavana, Kiran Srinivas, and Aindrita Ray. The writer, actor and director is now set to helm his first Hindi film, which also marks the debut of Kannada actor Aryann Santosh in Bollywood.

Titled Winter Bridge, the period drama is set against the backdrop of the Indo-China war in 1962 and will be a subject that deals with the themes of family, brotherhood, love and war. The director is now trying to bring on board South Indian and Bollywood heroine Aditi Rao Hydari, and has initiated talks with her. “The character has been sketched for the female lead, and I feel Aditi fits perfectly. We are still in the first round of our discussion, and we will be narrating the story to her soon,” says Apurva, sharing a first-look poster from the film, featuring Aryann Santosh.

The pre-launch motion poster of Winter Bridge will be unveiled on August 28 at 6 pm on the YouTube channel of Winterbridge Studios. Shooting will commence in December or January in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and surrounding places. “The war took place in areas like Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, and we are recreating the sequences of the Indo-China border at locations we will be finalising in Himachal Pradesh,” says Apurva.

“The story is about Vishnu, a postman married to Radha, and the untoward incidents that take place in his life after he takes charge of the post office in Pura village in the foothills of the Himalayas. He takes letters to and from the army base nearby, and the film shows the consequences faced by Vishnu after China declares war on India in 1962,” reveals Apurva, who is also initiating talks with other actors across regions to play different characters.