Referring to the likelihood of censorship making its way to the web space, Mirzapur actor Vikrant Massey on how India can better the prospects of its digital shows on a global platform
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; November 24, 2018)

Returning to the digital platform with the recently released Mirzapur, Vikrant Massey, in a chat with midday, acknowledges that the Indian audience still consumes international shows with more generosity than it does Indian series. With offerings like Inside Edge and Sacred Games, the trend is inarguably changing. But, the actor believes it is the ability of filmmakers to explore the stories of our country that will go a long way in enhancing the fate of Indian shows.

“[This platform allows us to] explore things in their truest forms. It’s easy to go overboard when showcasing violence or sex. But filmmakers must have the requisite skill set to be aware of that. India has many stories; we can exploit our diversity on a platform like this one, and we must do that,” Massey says.

Amidst reports of a review committee for the regulation of web content being considered, Massey says, “such roadblocks must first be gotten away with.” “We have a right to say stories. And it is a filmmaker’s responsibility to be aware of his work. With Mirzapur, we’ve tried to present the essence of the place in the show, including the crude humour that’s part of it. That is something you can only explore on this platform. We need to think about where we want to be five years from now, and not derail our process.”

Pointing out to the comic undertone that’s part of regular conversations among people in Mirzapur, he says, “As someone from Mumbai, [I] would laugh when I would hear how people in UP speak, because they have an inherent humour. The dialect changes every five kilometres.”

Set to play an astronaut in his upcoming venture, Cargo, Massey says, “We took part in anti-gravity training for certain sequences. We’ve explored the theory of whether or not man did land on the moon.”