The trick behind a powerful film is to give the audience something unexpected — by way of the story or the casting. Believing that the script of Bhagwat Chapter 1: Raakshas took care of the first criterion, producer Harman Baweja wanted to fulfill the second. So, in came Arshad Warsi and Jitendra Kumar in a case of “anti-casting” with the former playing inspector Vishwas Bhagwat, who is pulled into an investigation of missing girls in small-town India, and the latter, a suspect.

Excited about roping in Kumar — best known for his goody-two-shoes roles in Panchayat and Kota Factory — as the antagonist of the Zee5 thriller, Baweja shares, “Jitu has built such a strong connection with the audience that the moment you say Jitu, you think of him as the good guy navigating the mess someone else made. Turning the good guy into a bad guy was our surprise for the audience. He is such a brilliant actor that you believe whatever he plays.”

While Warsi has been typecast as the funnyman, Baweja wanted to showcase his versatility. The co-producer says, “Arshad is one of the finest actors out there. The success of Asur [where he portrayed a serious role] spoke volumes about his nuanced performance. Having these two actors do unexpected things makes the experience compelling.”