Chandan Roy Sanyal on his character, a rickshaw driver propagating environmental causes, in his upcoming web series Hawa Badle Hassu
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 13, 2019)

After the web film, The Sholay Girl, Chandan Roy Sanyal is set to feature as an environment-conscious auto-rickshaw driver in Sony Liv's digital series, Hawa Badle Hassu. Talking of playing the titular role of Hassu, Sanyal says, "This driver is different from the rest. He is more educated, and has interesting stories to narrate."

Likening his offering to Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, which sees leading man Robert De Niro, a mentally unstable veteran as a night-time taxi driver in New York, he says, "He crosses over to the dark side after hearing the conversations in his back seat. But here, my character tries to change people's mindset, and opinions on the environment."

Stating that the offering is along the lines of a common-man-turned-crusader, Sanyal says playing Hassu posed its share of challenges. "He is happy and optimistic, and tries to bring happiness in people's lives. Capturing these elements was challenging." There's not much he's willing to discuss of its climax yet, suggesting that it may unveil the peg of what could be the series' second edition.

For creative producer Protiqe Mojoomdar, the positive response towards sci-fi stories was motivation to create an offering that could discuss environmental matters in similar light. "The idea was to engage an entertainment-loving nation into an important conversation on environmental hazards."