Mumbai, Nov 1 (IANS): The upcoming film 'Raavsaheb' by Akshay Bardapurkar of Planet Marathi is one of the 20 imminent projects selected in 2021 for NFDC Film Bazaar's International Co-Production Market.

Film Bazaar Online, hosted by India's National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), has selected over 20 projects this year that will get a chance to secure backing from Indian and international producers, directors, programmers, financiers and sales agents at Open Pitch Online.

The projects originate from 11 countries and feature a diverse range of Indian and European languages including Assamese, Bengali, English, German, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani and Malayalam.

Bardapurkar's 'Raavsaheb' is one of these prestigious projects.

'Raavsaheb' is directed by Nikhil Mahajan, who has won acclaim for Marathi-language features 'June', 'Pune 52', 'Baji' and 'Godavari'. The film's screenplay is written by Mahajan himself along with Prajakt Deshmukh and Shripad Deshpande.

Bardapurkar says: "I have worked with Nikhil in the past and I can vouch for the talent he demonstrates as a director. Planet Marathi believes in making good content overcome hurdles and to let good entertainment take the spotlight. We are excited to pitch this amazing film to our global delegates. This is a wonderful opportunity for Marathi talent to get recognised.

'Raavsaheb' is an environmental thriller produced by Jitendra Joshi and Nehha Pendse Bayas along with Bardapurkar's Planet Marathi. The film is touted to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller featuring top-of-the-line prosthetic and VFX work.

It is to be shot on location in the Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. It will feature many more leading faces of the Marathi film industry. Bardapurkar and Mahajan will strike again after the first ever TVOD release of 'June' on Planet Marathi OTT.

Mahajan said: "The screenplay of 'Raavsaheb' is close to our hearts. We know that with the backing of Planet Marathi and my dear friend Akshay, as a team that's Nehha, Jitendra and me are thrilled to collaborate with him again through which we will be able to represent Marathi talent on a global platform. This also opens up doors for many Marathi projects that seek a better scale for their creative projects."

The makers are planning a festival rollout to be followed by an international theatrical release.

More details about the film will be out once it goes on the floors. The production is slated to begin in February 2022.