Tushar Hiranandani Discusses Covid Challenges, Box Office Success, and National Award Win for Srikanth

Director Tushar Hiranandani’s Srikanth (2024), starring Rajkummar Rao, won the Best Hindi Feature Film award at the 72nd National Film Awards. Tushar Hiranandani received the award from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in Ekta Nagar.

Speaking about the film's production, Hiranandani revealed that although the shoot was initially planned for 65 days and later adjusted to 55 days due to post-Covid budget and planning changes, he ultimately finished filming in 42 days. Due to Covid restrictions and visa issues preventing a shoot in the USA, the team filmed in South Africa instead, finding a college that resembled MIT. To establish the American setting, they shipped a yellow cab from New York to Cape Town to feature in the opening shot.

Reflecting on the box office, Srikanth collected over Rs. 50 crores. Hiranandani noted that the success of 12th Fail (2023) gave them confidence during the post-Covid period. He also discussed his previous film, Saand Ki Aankh (2019), which was released on Diwali and clashed with bigger films, opening at Rs. 20 lakhs before eventually reaching Rs. 25 crores.

Hiranandani and his wife, Nidhi Parmar Hiranandani, own Chalk N Cheese Films, which has produced three films: Saand Ki Aankh, Srikanth, and the 2025 Marathi entertainer Ata Thambaycha Naay. The makers also announced Ragda 25, a film based on the Indian Army’s first experimental batch of 25 women.