Ananya Banerjee and Gauravv K Chawla impressed one and all with their directing prowess with the horror web series Adhura. It stars Rasika Dugal and Ishwak Singh and premiered on an OTT platform on July 7. The Free Press Journal caught up with the director duo for an exclusive chat.
Despite horror being an absolute hit formula in the Indian landscape, it still feels that it is an underrated genre. Adhura, which is about the issue of bullying, is also a horror series released recently. When asked about how the idea germinated, Ananya shares, “I was always keen to explore the genre as a writer and director as I am a huge fan of the genre. In fact, it was one of the most important reasons for me to be a filmmaker since the very first films I watched were horror movies. Anand Jain came to our office with the idea of college and reunion. Later, while the narration was on, we found if we pick up the supernatural-thriller aspect, it can lead to something really interesting. We developed it and our producers Nikkhil (Advani), Monisha (Advani) and Madhu (Bhojwani) came on board then. Adhura is a show, where you come for the horror but you stay for the heart. It’s like a social commentary beyond ghosts.”
Gauravv adds, “The story is strong. Sometimes our human terrors are bigger than the spirits such as what it is like to be bullied, wondering about your sexuality, etc.”
Talking about headlining diverse projects like Baazaar, Kaun Banegi Shikharwati and now Adhura, he says, “For me, it lies in the challenge of it. The fun is to try that challenge, you may fail or pass with flying colours. I tried different genres to understand different types of writings or how to shoot them.”
When asked about how two creative minds co-exist on the sets, Ananya reveals, “We go on the different units on the sets and we shoot. The prep was done together with all our HODs and a lot of research and planning goes in. We set the language of the show. Sometimes, we both fight to shoot our favourite scenes.”
Gauravv chimes in, “A few directors shoot different episodes and kind of decide which ones to do. At times, our DOPs exchange.”
Rasika told The Free Press Journal that she is scared of darkness and not fond of watching horror films. When asked about casting her for the main protagonist, Ananya quips, “When I wrote Surpiya Ghosh, I imagined Rasika’s face. Supriya’s physicality also resonated with her. Everyone approved of casting Rasika. We needed a good actor and there’s something very vulnerable about her. There's a certain likability about her without being very loud. There is a comfort in her presence and she is there in an ambient way.”
Gauravv concludes, “Our casting director Kavish Sinha has done a phenomenal job in casting. The kid Shrenik (Arora) is a great find. We had to shoot with a lot of sensitivity and responsibility with the kids, especially the scenes of bullying. We had to have a lot of patience since direction is about patience but with kids that patience goes up. We shot the show in Ooty and a few portions in Mumbai.”
