Bestseller stars Mithun Chakraborty, Shruti Haasan, Arjan Bajwa, Gauahar Khan and others. Directed by Mukul Abhyankar and produced by Siddharth P Malhotra, it has begun streaming on Amazon Prime Video from February 18. Free Press Journal caught up with the director and producer for an exclusive conversation.
Talking about the Bestseller, Mukul shares, “People love to see what I say, so it comes from the primary storytelling attitude. Bestseller is written by Anvita Dutt and Althea Kaushal. Our producer Siddharth has played a great role in bringing all the thoughts together. Being a writer myself, I was impressed with the script that was handed over to me. I feel it’s a very tricky genre, and very few people know how to handle the web series format because it’s such a huge canvas. Keeping people hooked with one track is a big task, but with Bestseller, I was sure. I finished reading eight episodes in just four hours, and I knew that it’s a sure shot hit content.”
With OTT emerging like anything, the episodic narrative has changed the dynamics for writers and directors. “I used to think that we are in the transitory phase. There’s so much foreign content bombarded on us, and we happily consume it. So, besides our original thoughts, we also have some influence of the western content on us, but the web is a medium that gives maximum freedom to the good writers, and they have benefitted by this format,” Mukul adds.
Siddharth P Malhotra |
Siddharth is the creative producer, showrunner and producer of the show. After making numerous TV shows, he switched over to Bollywood. He directed films like We Are Family and Hichki. He says, “I have taken so many risks during my television days. When people were making saas-bahu dramas, I made a hospital show Sanjivani: A Medical Boon. I created shows like Ek Hasina Thi, Beyhadh season 1. Those were thrillers only. This is the genre that I have always loved but for me, what works with Bestseller is that it is a psychological and emotional thriller. The rounding of the characters is so strong and universal. They are flawed but real. I wanted to do a show on OTT which is entertaining and commercial but at the same time leaves a mark.”
Bestseller boasts of a unique cast. “My casting director Kavish Sinha got some interesting cast, and the rest is history. However, I always have a rough casting in my mind, and I don’t work with any other casting director. He and I have a comfort level with each other. I believe stars do add value to a certain extent. I don’t say that I am okay to work with non-entity actors,” Siddharth concludes.
