Shraddha Kapoor is framing Eetha not as another shot at the box office, but as a story worth waiting for. At the film’s trailer launch, the actor said she has never felt that she has broken any records or accomplished anything at the box office. For her, the test is simpler: whether the film is good.
The comments arrive as Kapoor reunites with producer Dinesh Vijan after the success of Stree and Stree 2. Rather than leaning on that commercial run, she described a longer creative rhythm, saying she sometimes makes one film in two years because she is looking for good stories.
“I don’t ever feel that I have broken any records or I’ve done something at the box office,” Kapoor said, according to PTI. “For me, it matters that it is a good film.”
She also declined to sort films by gender. Kapoor said she does not think in terms of women-oriented or men-oriented cinema, and called the divide a “narrow thought.” What the industry needs, in her view, is good stories, regardless of who is at the centre. Success, she added, is incidental and not in anyone’s hands.
Why the framing matters
For an industry that often speaks in opening-day numbers and lifetime collections, Kapoor’s comments place the emphasis back on selection. After a blockbuster such as Stree 2, the commercial temptation is to chase scale. Instead, the official positioning around Eetha is built around a real-life figure and a regional performance tradition.
Who Vithabai Narayangaonkar was
Eetha is a biographical drama directed by Laxman Utekar, rooted in Maharashtra’s tamasha and lavani forms and inspired by the life of Vithabai Narayangaonkar. Born on July 1, 1935 in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, she was introduced to tamasha early and grew into a performer who drew audiences from across the state.
Her work blended music, dance and storytelling. Narayangaonkar received the President’s award in the Tamasha genre and became known by the title “Tamasha Samradini,” or Tamasha Empress. In 2006, the Maharashtra government instituted the Vithabai Narayangavkar Lifetime Achievement Award in her memory. She died on January 15, 2002 in Narayangaon at the age of 66.
The release to watch
Eetha is scheduled to release in cinemas on December 4, 2026. The confirmed details of the project include:
- Presented by Maddock Films and Kathputli Creations; produced by Dinesh Vijan and Laxman Utekar.
- Music by Ajay-Atul.
- Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Siddharth Jadhav in pivotal roles.
The trailer has already put Kapoor’s transformation in focus. The wider question for audiences is not only the look, but whether a regional biographical story can hold a wide December release. For followers of Hindi cinema’s long memory, Eetha is a reminder that some of the most durable film choices are bets on story, not sequels.
Source: Hindustan Times
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