SPINNING A WEB

Altbalaji has come up with a new web series on the life of Subhash Chandra Bose. Overwhelmed by the audience response, Rajkummar Rao, lead actor and Hansal Mehta, the creative producer, came forward to share their experience about making of this show

ALtbalaji’s latest web series, ‘Bose: Dead/alive’, has barely released and it is already the talk of the town. Series creative producer Hansal Mehta and leading man Rajkummar Rao, tell team Box Office India the trick to making a quality web series is to treat it like a big-screen project

BOI: The show has just been launched on Altbalaji. How has the response of the audience been?

Hansal Mehta (HM): It has been superb. Very overwhelming. People are finding it thrilling and very exciting. The response that I have got is people saying they have never seen anything like this ever before on the web. As I said, it has been a huge response which has been overwhelming. It is the vindication of all the hard work that has gone in. People have loved Rajkummar’s acting and that of all the other characters as well. It has been really appreciated. And this is just the beginning. The numbers and analytics start coming in after a period of time for the web. Then we will know where we stand on the numbers but it has been great so far.

BOI: Hansal, there were so many freedom fighters who took part in the independence struggle. Why did you choose Subhash Chandra Bose’s story?

HM: Subhash Chandra Bose is a very important part of our freedom struggle and his story has been ignored. When we look at our history and the history of India’s freedom struggle, his is just a briefly documented story in our history books. His disappearance after 1945 created an intriguing mystery and although there has been wild speculation about it, we don’t really know enough about him or the circumstances of his disappearance. This is a story based on research, thorough research, and I feel this is an important story for people to know. As a country, we enjoy our freedom today but we don’t really know why and how we got our freedom. When we talk about our freedom, we think of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehruji but freedom fighters like Subhash Chandra Bose are relegated to single pages in the history books.

BOI: Rajkummar, what attracted you to the story more… the platform or the concept?

Rajkummar Rao (RR): For me, it is always the content; the medium actually doesn’t matter. The story and the chance to play Netaji on screen was quite fascinating for me. I knew it would be a thrilling experience for me, as an actor. The script was well-researched and quite detailed in that it had things we haven’t really heard about his life, chapters we don’t have any idea of. That was why I said yes to the script.

BOI: There is so much mystery surrounding Subhash Chandra Bose. Do you think this series will offer some closure to this subject?

RR: There is a lot of mystery and speculation; we are definitely going for the Bose of 1945; we are touching upon those theories but we are not offering any definite answers. After touching upon those areas, we will leave it up to you to decide which theory you want to believe.

BOI: What was the research you did to slip into this role?

RR: There was a lot of reading involved. I had to go through his unfinished biography. I spent a lot of time at his place in Kolkata. I would spend hours there. It also involved watching a lot of documentaries, films and some footage on the Internet. I had to get an idea of his body language, how he used to walk, etc. There are many of his radio speeches available and I had to get the voice right.

BOI: Indian web series usually focus on urban content. Will the audience be receptive to a historical subject like Bose: Dead/alive?

RR: Definitely. Judging from the response to the trailer, we are very hopeful. Also, since this is the digital medium, it is accessible and easily available and you can always watch it at your convenience. I am a fan of many web series and many shows on Amazon and Netflix, and I know that there is a chunk of people who watch shows and series like these on a regular basis. We are sure we have created something quite grand and of international standards. I hope people welcome our first initiative.

HM: I think it will be received very well. We have treated the historical concept like a thriller. We have made sure that we present it in an entertaining and engaging manner. There is some English in the dialogue as the British spoke in English but we have provided a Hindi language option for people in smaller pockets of the country, who don’t follow English. Also, Altbalaji’s programming aims to get the masses involved in the digital viewing revolution.

BOI: Rajkummar, it is obvious that yours is an intense role in this series. Did it take a toll on you mentally and emotionally, as an actor?

RR: The process was quite challenging and it wasn’t easy at all. The weather conditions in Kolkata when we were shooting made it even more difficult. It was quite hot and humid. Apart from that, roles like these don’t really take a toll on me. Sure, you get into a certain kind of physical appearance which you cannot get out of for the next six to seven months but I chose to do that. Other than that, there isn’t anything problematic. And if there are any challenges, they just make you a better person as you learn something from them. Here, it inspired me to play Netaji.

BOI: Let’s talk about your collaboration. Both of you have delivered some really amazing movies over the years.

RR: I think we are very impulsive, in a way. There are many stories we want to tell and these are some of them. We want to tell them a certain way and both of us have the same tastes, same interests in those stories. Maybe that’s why we connect so well. We try and find some realism in our stories and we always want to make our characters human.

HM: We look for challenges in every script that we come across. It is something that draws us to them. How does the story challenge us? How do we approach it in a new way? We are constantly looking to challenge each other with new subjects. That’s why every film we have done together has been a new experience.

BOI: The locations you shot at look very real on screen.

RR: We shot at real locations, for the most part. The series was shot in almost five cities spanning three different countries. We rarely shot on a set. I think all this adds to the feel of the show. The scale that you see, the grandness of the series, all this comes across when you actually shoot at real places.

HM: Also, we must give credit to the director of the web series, Pulkit. He has toiled very hard to give the show its authenticity, to give it that look, feel and scale it has. He is a new director but he has shown so much promise with this show. It is very impressive.

BOI: Rajkummar, how did you come on board for the character of Subhash Chandra Bose?

RR: It all started when Ekta wanted me to play the part of Netaji, and the moment she decided to start a web series, I was on board. I met the other makers and heard about the idea, about how they were planning a series on Bose. I thought they wanted me to play someone younger like Bhagat Singh. But they said Netaji, and I was like, ‘Wow!’ It will be thrilling and exciting. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but I was pumped from the moment I got to know.

BOI: Hansal, from making films for the big screen to being a producer on a web show, what has the transition been like for you?

HM: I was looking for an opportunity to be a part of the web series revolution. Digital is going to be a very strong medium for us to tell stories. Over the years, it has emerged as the strongest platform for storytellers, filmmakers, actors, etc. The crafting and writing on the digital platform has been superior to films. It is now coming to India and I wanted to begin my journey in this digital world with something that set a benchmark.

In the future, I see myself as being part of this more and more. There is a lot of freedom in this (web) world. The digital platform does not succumb to the weekend game. Your series are not dependent on a Friday; it is there forever, and people can watch it at their convenience. That gives you a lot of power as a storyteller.

BOI: Your passion for this project is apparent. Weren’t you tempted to come on board as the director?

HM: Yes, there were times when I was tempted but I was equally passionate about the work Pulkit was doing. I am proud that there is this young director who is carrying the torch. That has given me more pride than actually making the show myself. In many ways, I see Pulkit as an extension of myself.

BOI: You spoke about migration to the digital platform. Do you think more filmmakers will resort to it because there is so much freedom?

HM: I don’t think that is the only reason. The migration is not happening only because of the freedom it affords. We are looking to explore more content, tell more stories and the digital platform is yet another outlet for us to do that. TV and cinema have their limitations in terms of budgets and recoveries. The digital medium offers you an alternative way to do this. Stories like that of Subhash Chandra Bose can be explored here and you have the freedom to do that across nine episodes.

BOI: Rajkummar, what do you think the audience will take away from this show?

RR: A grand experience, for sure, something that has never been done before in cinema or on the web. There are chapters of Subhash babu’s life that we are completely ignorant of that will come to light. And the storytelling is very modern, in a thriller format.

BOI: Tell us something about your upcoming collaboration Omerta.

HM: It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Then it travelled to the Busan International Film Festival and MAMI, where it got a wonderful response.