If audiences have taken a bite of Bareilly ki Barfi, why won't they read Ranchi Diaries?

Come October 13, the state capital is set to sizzle on 500 screens across India, courtesy Ranchi Dairies, a film creatively produced by veteran actor Anupam Kher and featuring him, debutante Soundarya Sharma, a dental student-turned-actor, and Himansh Kohli of Yaariyan fame.

The film is a comedy thriller about Ranchi girl, an aspiring model who dreams of becoming a pop sensation like Shakira, her friends and godfather. It is directed by another debutant Sattwik Mohanty, a Bhubaneswar boy.

Kher told the media at Ranchi's Suchana Bhavan on Tuesday that while shooting M.S. Dhoni, The Untold Story (he played the role of Paan Singh, Dhoni's father) he had developed a special bond with the town.

So when Mohanty approached Kher about a year ago with a script set in a small town, the latter suggested Ranchi.

On Ranchi Diaries, Kher, who addressed the media with young leads Soundarya and Himansh, said, 'I liked the script and my negative character Thakur Bhaiya. It's light, fun-filled story about dreams and aspirations of small towns. This small town Ranchi has given the country's biggest icon in the form of M.S. Dhoni.'

Kher, who also chairs the Jharkhand Film Technical Advisory Committee, was candid about the difficulties in getting a producer. They kept searching for six months till Coconut Motion Pictures in Ahmedabad agreed to come on board, he said. 'I chipped in with funds. The film is made with Rs 8 crore minus Rs 4 crore publicity cost. Shot mostly in Ranchi and nearby for 40 days, only 12 actors are from Mumbai.'

If the film works, he would love to make movies on other small towns as well, Kher, himself from Shimla, said.

He added filmmakers were interested in Jharkhand with films shot here like Begum Jaan and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story making news, but stressed direct Ranchi-Mumbai flights would make a world of difference.

'I am told around 50 (film shoot) applications have come to the government of which 21 were okayed,' he said.

Jharkhand government will offer a subsidy of Rs 1.5 crore to Ranchi Diaries under its film policy. On Tuesday, Kher and the film's team also met chief minister Raghubar Das requesting Ranchi Diaries be declared tax-free in Jharkhand. Kher also had dinner Dhoni on Monday.