MUMBAI: UTV co-founder Deven Khote’s directorial debut Film City will go on floors on 17 April.

It may be recalled that Businessofcinema.com was the first to report that Khote was donning the director’s hat.

John Abraham is slated to play an important role in the movie, which is set against the backdrop of the Indian film industry.

Film City is a light-hearted story of a chawl situated next to Film City, the studio complex of the Bollywood film industry. It follows the misadventures, antics and lives of its quirky residents as they try to piece together their own movie. The protagonist of the film Raju, a spotboy who is a life-long resident of the chawl sets the ball rolling!

Khote said, "After gaining an understanding of various avenues in the entertainment industry, direction was the obvious choice, an unexplored avenue. Film City is an amalgamation of two thoughts, one which got sparked off by observing a spot boy and the other deriving inspiration from a bunch of boys in Malegaon spoofing themselves, Film City brings the two together and centres around these nuts trying to make a film."

UTV Motion Pictures COO Alpana Mishra added, "Inspite of this movie being Deven’s maiden venture, he has always been the one in command whether on ideas, concepts and now fully on top of the pre production. Watching him take on direction with such ease was a classic display of perfectionism at its best. We go on the floors on 17th April with most of the film being shot on sets and locations in Mumbai. The key crew includes Ram Sampath for Music, Cinematography by Mahesh Aney and Nitin Desai for Art."