BAFTA Breakthrough Fellow Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy to direct ‘Teacher’s Pet’, Vikramaditya Motwane to produce

MUMBAI: The BAFTA Breakthrough Fellow, Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy, is set to direct ‘Teacher’s Pet’, a coming-of-age comedy set in an all-girls Catholic boarding school in India, reported Variety. The project is being presented at the WAVES Film Bazaar, the market component of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025.

‘Jubilee’ and ‘Black Warrant’ filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane is on board as executive producer with his Andolan Films. Based on a script by Shuchi Dwivedi, the film is being produced by Aishwarya Sonar’s Lambe Log Productions and Dwivedi’s Small Town Gurl Productions.

According to the outlet, ‘Teacher’s Pet’ follows Rinky, an overachiever determined to become head girl of her school, until her ambitions are derailed when she finds herself pitted against her former best friend. What begins as a rivalry spirals into a chaotic, heartfelt journey through adolescent identity, friendship, and the universal awkwardness of growing up.

Vikramaditya Motwane Boards Coming-of-Age Comedy ‘Teacher’s Pet’ as EP, Taps Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy to Direct – WAVES Film Bazaar https://t.co/0df8nCMl5T

— Variety (@Variety) November 23, 2025

The project is driven by a creative team working at the India-US intersection. Having spent their own teenage years searching for themselves in coming-of-age stories centred on white protagonists, the filmmakers are determined to broaden the narrative landscape.

“We are committed to telling Indian stories for the world. ‘Teacher’s Pet’ lets us do exactly that, as we explore the chaos of teenage life. We grew up searching for ourselves in coming-of-age stories about white girls. With this, we’re working towards being part of that change, not just for representation’s sake, but also to showcase the vibrant universe of Indian comedies, which are rare on global screens”, says Aishwarya Sonar, whose recent work includes the short films ‘Yakshi’ (starring Babil Khan and Anna Ben) and ‘Hema’ (starring Rajshri Deshpande) under her production company, Lambe Log Productions, as quoted by Variety.

Casting is currently under way, with production planned for December 2026 in Madhya Pradesh, India.

Murthy has previously directed the Kannada language feature ‘Aachar & Co.’ and the documentary series ‘Jeevalahari’ (Doordarshan). Her latest Kannada-language feature, ’13 Days’, is currently in post-production. (ANI)