Hope is a small word with the power to move mountains. It can rekindle love, make peace feel within reach, and fuel the dream of a world where women can live without fear. In 2024, while preparing Big Girls Don't Cry, filmmakers Karan Kapadia and Nitya Mehra stumbled upon an article about sexual assault, which sparked the idea for Hunkkaar - The Roar.

“The article deeply resonated with us,” Kapadia told mid-day. He said the social evil needed to be addressed, particularly by highlighting how good people come together to fight the good fight. “We also wanted to celebrate the system. There’s so much gloom around us all the time, this was a story of hope.”

The six-part JioHotstar courtroom drama follows a 17-year-old girl’s fight to bring her perpetrator, a self-styled godman, to justice. The series stars Aneet Padda, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Raghubir Yadav, and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub.

For Mehra, it was imperative to flip the usual narrative around sexual violence, which often focuses on the survivor rather than the perpetrator. “I felt that we needed to change the narrative. [Most] headlines are about the survivor. While Karan and I are not trying to take away the horror that survivors go through, it was [imperative to focus] on the good fight,” said Mehra.

The duo knew Padda was the right choice to bring the survivor’s story to life, having watched her grow as an actor. “Once you work with her, you realize the immense talent she is,” Mehra said with pride. Kapadia revealed that he “fought” to get Padda on board. “The minute we were done writing it, I knew she had to be cast. I fought for that, and made sure that she came on board,” he shared.

With YRF Talent actor Aneet Padda reportedly being “preserved for theatricals” after her launch in ‘Saiyaara’ (2025), ‘Hunkkaar’ could be her last streaming outing for a while. But Kapadia and Mehra see no limitations.

“She is so brilliant in the show. I can’t wait for her to become the biggest theatrical heroine. She already is.” says Mehra, calling the two projects “two ends of a spectrum”. Kapadia adds, “I don’t think it [the medium] matters.”