Director's Cut: THIS is why Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein fame Siddharth Sengupta is indebted to Ekta Kapoor

Before he took the OTT world by storm through web series like Apharan, Undekhi and the recently released Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, Siddharth Sengupta was an established TV director. He was the director of cult shows like Balika Vadhu, Rangrasiya and Tanha. In an exclusive conversation with Free Press Journal, he opens up about his latest show, why he is forever grateful to Ekta Kapoor, and more.

According to Siddharth, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein falls under a unique genre. “Rightly, if I may say, it’s pulp. It easily brings forth that feel, ‘Ab kya hoga?’ The anxieties need to be created, and that’s one quality we tried to bring in. I also tried to represent the cross-genre. My previous shows Apharan and Undekhi are on the same track, if you may have noted closely,” he says.

Anchal Singh plays the love-obsessed Purva opposite Tahir Raj Bhasin’s Vikrant. The actress is fairly new to the world of acting, but the director is glad he cast her in the role. “I had worked with Anchal in Undekhi. Her casting was done just six days before the beginning of the shoot. We were trying to find the right girl. In my head, there was a character that should not be defined. It shouldn’t fall in the definition of a vamp either. For me, she is a girl who is very truthful. Anchal as a person, is honest. I felt she would be able to do it, and she would be my Purva. I like to observe my actors, and this felt right. I was sure she would suit the character though Anchal was not very sure,” he reveals.

The title of the show happens to also be a popular song from Shah Rukh Khan’s Baazigar. When asked if that was the inspiration for the name, Siddharth states, “When I started writing and discussed it with the platform, this was the title. I was having this title that would give a pulpy bent to my content. It should be beautiful yet have that haunting quality. It’s lyrical, and the main actor is pushed to a corner also comprises a great quality and has an enigma. Identification hai inn kaali kaali aankhon ka. Pura hindustan janta hai ki yeh kaali kaali ankhein pareshan karti hai!"

Siddharth is thankful to OTT for giving a new lease of life to his two-decade-long career. “I have a lot many stories thanks to OTT. It has given manifold opportunities to all of us, be it actors or technicians. I have invested almost 20 years of doing television and films, but, at this juncture of my life, these 20 years prove to be a reversal in my career. Lately, when I approach producers, they point blank tell me that we are looking for young directors (smiles),” he shares.

It was Ekta Kapoor who gave the director his big break on OTT with Apharan, and Siddharth is very thankful to her. “I had never worked in television with Ekta. Whatever I have heard about her, she is so very different. She has been more than fair with me; she has loved the scripts. I enjoyed working with her. She is a genius in her own way. ‘Goldie sir (my nick name) aisa kar lijiye’, that’s what she would always say. She knows masala. I had a wonderful experience with her. I have a 20 years TV background which proved against me I was not getting a break on OTT. I am so lucky and happy Ekta gave me a break. I’m very indebted to her because this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to work with her,” he concludes.