MUMBAI: The cast for Gurinder Chadha’s next feature, It’s A Wonderful Afterlife has been announced.

The international cast includes, Shabana Azmi (Fire, Godmother, Arth, Madame Sousatzka), Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes), Zoë Wanamaker (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), Jimi Mistry (East Is East, The Guru, RocknRolla, Sanjeev Bhaskar (The Kumars at No. 42), Mark Addy (The Full Monty), Ray Panthaki (Eastenders) and Goldy Notay making her film debut. The film also reunites the cast of Bend it Like Beckham including Shaheen Khan (Britz), Ash Varrez (Bhaji on the Beach) and Adlyn Ross (Shifty).

It’s A Wonderful Afterlife is a comedy about an Indian mother who takes her obsession with marriage into frighteningly funny territory. As was reported by Businessofcinema.com, the shooting for the film began in London on 28 March. It is being prepared for release in early 2010.

Chadha says, “What a huge treat to be working with such a great ensemble of actors. Nothing excites me more as a director than to take a group of actors from such different places and put them all in the same movie with very funny and quite moving consequences."

It’s A Wonderful Afterlife will be produced and directed by Chadha, who has also written the screenplay with her writing partner and husband, Paul Mayeda Berges.

The film is being co-produced by The Indian Film Company (TIFC) and Bend It Films in association with Studio 18. HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales and distribution.