Aneesh Chaganty talks about featuring an Asian-American family

Michelle La and John Cho/Picture Courtesy: YouTube

The upcoming movie Searching is a classic thriller where the story is told in a decidedly contemporary way. Starring John Cho, it follows a father trying to find his missing daughter. What makes the film inventive is that it's told mainly on a laptop screen after his daughter, Margot (Michelle La) goes missing.

What makes Searching stand out from every other thriller where a child is in trouble is the way the drama is presented. The entire story unfolds on a computer screen--populated with emails, video chats, texts and tweets.

Director and co-writer Aneesh Chaganty wrote the part of David Kim specifically with Cho in mind. When asked about the same he said, "John is an incredible actor. We wrote the role of David Kim for him. We'd never seen him in a dramatic role like this, and that's what excited us about him."

When asked about the new face in the film, Michelle La. He says, "This is her first movie. We had cast John, and so we wanted to cast a Korean-American girl to play his daughter."

In the film, Debra Messing co-stars as Rosemary Vick, a dedicated detective assigned to look into the disappearance of a teenage girl. With the help of the girl's father (John Cho), the duo unravels the circumstance and potential culprit behind the teenager's disappearance.

Revealing about the casting of Debra for the role of the detective, Aneesh said, "I'd never seen Debra play something quite like this either. Everyone is doing something new in this movie, whether it's the actors, the director or the editors. Collectively, I think it's what helps make this feel very fresh."

Sony Pictures Entertainment India is all set to release Searching on August 31.

Watch the trailer here: