Samiksha Oswal on the Thrill & Challenges of Shooting Max, Min & Meowzaki with a Cat

In Hindi cinema, it is quite rare to come across a film featuring a cat as the main protagonist. The upcoming award-winning film, Max, Min & Meowzaki brings novelty to the screens with a cat as the highlight in a narrative that revolves around love, loss and second chances.

“Nobody has ever made a film with a cat. There are films featuring dogs, but it’s difficult to shoot with a cat,” says producer Samiksha Oswal. Recalling the days of the shoot, she continues, “I remember that the cat used to run away between the lights. She was sleeping most of the time, and people used to wait patiently. The time taken was more than usual. But, the film is looking the way we envisaged.”

Further, she reveals the reason behind making an off-beat film with a cat. “Shael is an animal lover, and this is our story also. He has a hundred stray dogs in the farmhouse. So, he was very excited to do a film with a cat. People don’t notice the small sacrifices that we make to adjust with our partner. The film is based on a very different subject. Certain things have never been addressed before, like a cat being the main protagonist. We were quite thrilled about the freshness of this idea and the whole look of the film,” she states.

The film’s heartwarming trailer has already struck a chord with the audience, leaving them eager to enter a world that taps into the reality of healing and acceptance.

Starring Medha Shankr, Siddharth Menon, Adil Hussain, Mandira Bedi, Nasser, Nafisa Ali and Vidhatri Bandi, Max, Min & Meowzaki is a poignant multigenerational story about learning to live with loss, embracing hope and finding the courage to begin again.

The internationally acclaimed film has already made a remarkable impact on the global festival circuit, premiering at the Busan International Film Festival and earning a coveted spot in the Best of Fest selection at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It has also received Audience Honours at Sonoma, San Francisco and Osaka, while winning Best Feature awards at Stuttgart, Cincinnati, Berlin’s Indo-German Film Week and RIFFA in Canada.

Presented by actor-producer Samiksha Oswal, Max, Min & Meowzaki is written and directed by Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy and produced by Shael Oswal and Samiksha Oswal under the banner of SSO Productions. The film releases exclusively in theatres on July 24.