Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; January 10, 2019)

Besides being the first Netflix original from Shah Rukh Khan’s stable, Bard Of Blood enjoys another distinction. The spy thriller, an adaptation of Bilal Siddiqi’s book by the same name, also marks Emraan Hashmi’s foray into the digital space.

The actor asserts that the dynamics of the OTT platform are markedly different from that of Hindi cinema. “It’s like shooting three films simultaneously. We have seven episodes, each 45-minute-long,” says Hashmi of the show that has him play a former R&AW agent, who is recalled from his new life as a Shakespeare professor, to save his country.

Although a spy thriller on the surface, Hashmi points out that the makers need to adopt a different tonality when creating content for a global audience. “We are catering to 190 countries; so, the concept of ‘Indianising’ things doesn’t apply here. It has to be real; It can’t be illogical and jingoistic like most of our films.”

Hashmi is no stranger to Siddiqi’s works, having co-written The Kiss Of Life [Hashmi’s book chronicling his son’s battle with cancer] with him. He says he couldn’t have asked for a better debut vehicle. “When Red Chillies offered the show, they felt I might have reservations about foraying into the OTT platform. I had already read the book, and when I read the first three episodes of the adaptation, I decided to give it a shot.”

The actor — who will be seen next in Cheat India — adds that the show is likely to drop online by August-end.