Applause Entertainment announces new Heartland Dramedy: Mannphodganj

Media pioneer Sameer Nair led Applause Entertainment, the content studio from the Aditya Birla Group, along with DJ’s A Creative Unit brings a comedy drama titled Mannphodganj. The series is the adaptation of the book Band Baaja Boys by Rachna Singh that received rave reviews in the national media. The story revolves around a 22-year old girl Binny Bajpai who challenges the customs and traditions in Mannphodganj, a small town near Allahabad (now called Prayagraj). Amitosh Nagpal’s screenplay paints a picture of real life families in small town India, who stand hesitantly, but promisingly, at the cusp of modernity. Pranati Rai Prakash, a popular fashion model, semi-finalist at Miss India 2015 and winner of India’s Next Top Model season 2, plays the central role of Binny Bajpai.

The series is directed by Vikas Chandra, who has been a part of films like Ghajini and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy. The happy-go-lucky girl Binny Bajpai, is the centre of attraction for the men of Mannphodganj. Her father Brajesh, owns a lingerie store in town, which her mother Kumud had brought along as dowry. When Binny’s plan to escape the middle-class life fails, this classic tale of crisscrossed lovers become a bitter-sweet story of her infatuation filled revenge escapade. Atul Srivastava, Alka Kaushal, Anurag Sinha, Farmaan Khan, Abhinav Anand, Kritika, Aru Krishank and Samar Vermani also play key characters in the show.

Sameer Nair, CEO Applause Entertainment says, “Light hearted, comedic family dramas allow us to push the boundaries of storytelling, to get closer to the real issues that face modern India in its small traditional towns. Mannphodhanj brings together the perfect combination of a well-written script, a fantastic team of show runners Tony, Deeya Singh and director Vikas Chandra, and a wonderfully talented cast of actors.”

Showrunner, Tony Singh says, “I always wanted to create such a light hearted show and it has turned out to be a beautiful amalgamation of something that is fun, desi at heart and youthful while being real. It was wonderful working with the star cast of the show. And the brilliant writing and direction, as each episode unfolds, is sure to keep the audiences hooked onto the show.”

Director, Vikas Chandra says, “Mannphodganj is a very light hearted comedy show. I always wanted to direct a show which the audience can relate to and I am grateful to Sameer Nair, Applause Entertainment and DJ’s for trusting my vision. I am thrilled to work with such outstanding/gifted cast and can’t wait to have audiences consume it.”

Applause Entertainment continues to raise the bar on original Indian digital content with each of its fresh and exciting new series.