Crackdown 2 director Apoorva Lakhia lashes out on the star system, says, ‘I am considered a senior among OTT actors’

Filmmaker Apoorva Lakhia’s thriller series, Crackdown 2, is garnering rave reviews. The series stars Saqib Saleem, Mohammed Iqbal Khan and Shriya Pilgaonkar in pivotal roles along with, Waluscha De Sousa, Ankur Bhatia, Sonali Kulkarni, Freddy Daruwala, Hemant Kher, and Sachin Parikh.

When asked whether according to him this new season of Crackdown is bigger and better, he shares, “I am hoping it to be better. It is surely scale-wise, there’s a lot more money spent on it. There are new faces added to the cast this time. It was great fun. I always wanted to work with Sonali. While I was working as an assistant director in America, Mission Kashmir premiered there. I saw her coming with four bodyguards and then she impressed me in Dil Chahata Hai. Also, Freddy suited the role and I liked Hemant Kher a lot when I saw Scam.”

Apoorva, who had helmed several ensembles for the big screen, feels that for OTT actors, he is considered a senior. “When I made films like Shootout at Lokhandwala, the actors I worked with were senior to me. But, now for these OTT, I am a generation apart so it becomes easier for me. The actor is an insecure breed. People used to fight for their close-ups. With OTT, all the new-age actors bring something new and unique. Their one-man ship gets something to my product. Even the actors come on time as they are very much aware of their reputation.”

“Even films are writers' medium like OTT; directors just make it larger than life. Bad writing is bad writing but it director can spoil good writing and make a bad film. When a film flops, the only director shouldn’t be blamed but others should take the onus too. In OTT, we have to be very careful with the nooks since it is about you versus the audience who have a remote control in their hands. I have to make a show with episodes of 25-30 minutes with a genre like this,” he adds.

Apoorva, who had seen a lull in his film career strongly feels whether a project is a hit or flop, ultimately it's an Apoorva Lakhia product. He explains, “With OTT, you are given a certain budget, unlike the films. We can’t think and take several takes while shooting an OTT show. We need to be very well planned.”

Sharing further on his future projects, “A lot of people are pitching me but it won’t shape up until I like something. I have also bought the rights to a book named India’s Most Fearless.”