After almost three weeks of home quarantine, it’s showtime for Amit Sadh again. Earlier this month, the actor had tested positive for Coronavirus when the cast and crew of Breathe -  Into The Shadows were screened before the filming of the third season. Sadh, now fully recovered, is ready to reprise his role of cop Kabir Sawant.

“Essaying a character like Kabir Sawant gives you a lot to explore as an artiste. There are many nuances and beats to catch in such a show because one needs to maintain the thrill, suspense, and drama all through the episodes,” says the actor. For him, shooting for the Amazon Prime Video crime thriller is one of “the most liberating processes.”

The second edition of the Abhishek Bachchan and Sadh-starrer set the stage for a subsequent season. Asked whether his character will again be on a cat-and-mouse chase with Bachchan’s character, he says, “I cannot reveal details right now, but one can expect more drama.”

Abhishek Bachchan, raring to go after recovering from Covid-19, feels industry will see change
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 3, 2020)

After spending close to a month in an isolation ward for Covid-19 treatment, on August 8, actor Abhishek Bachchan announced he’d tested negative. He was soon discharged and even attended the engagement ceremony of filmmaker J P Dutta’s daughter Nidhi, a few days ago.

Talking about his frame of mind post Covid-19, Bachchan says, “I am fine, thank you for asking. Ready to get back to work!” In July, Abhishek and most of his family — his father, actor Amitabh Bachchan, wife, actor Aishwarya Rai and daughter Aaradhya — were diagnosed with Covid-19. Ask how he kept his spirits up in that difficult time and he replies, “The love, affection, concern and prayers of our family, friends and well wishers (helped). (I) listened to the medical staff, tried to be a good patient.”

Days before he tested positive for Coronavirus, his web debut, Breathe -  Into The Shadows, had dropped and was well-received by audiences. “The response has been overwhelming. More than what I expected. We always work hard and then pray that the audience likes your work. The team of Breathe believed in the director Mayank Sharma’s vision, and we had a good script, but eventually the audience decides. That’s why I say we hoped for the best,” says an “overjoyed” Bachchan, adding, “I’m so humbled and thankful to the audiences and the entire team. Playing a negative role is very tough. First, because the negativity doesn’t come naturally to me, so you need to put in that much more work to make it look convincing. As actors, you need to go out more on a limb when playing a character like that, so I feel it’s tougher.”

With a number of films releasing on OTT, including his upcoming film, The Big Bull, he feels while the box-office barometer might be absent, actors will still be required to deliver “in terms of performance”. As for change, he says, “One possible change, and dare I say a good one, could be that it would lay more importance on whether the actor is suited for the role. But there are many films we make that require a ‘star’ to be in them.”

A part of the industry for 20 years, Bachchan asserts he speaks from experience. “Contrary to popular belief, commercial film acting is not easy at all. To convincingly do some things ‘commercial cinema’ demands is immensely challenging. But, now without the box-office barometer, directors and producers will possibly cast a film on its requirements in terms of casting. An actor’s life will still be decided every Friday. They will still be required to deliver — either at the box-office or in terms of performance. At the end of the day, the audience will still decide and they are the final word!” he signs off.

With makers kicking off work on Breathe 3, the producer says Abhishek Bachchan-starrer one of the platform's most-watched shows despite mixed reviews
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 1, 2020)

Abhishek Bachchan's Breathe -  Into The Shadows may have opened to unflattering reviews upon its July release, but the suits at Amazon Prime Video maintained that it was one of the most watched series on the platform. Now, the head honchos of the streaming giant seem to be putting their money where their mouth is. Buzz is that Abundantia Entertainment, the production house behind the crime thriller, is set to begin work on its third season.

Defending the sophomore season, producer Vikram Malhotra says, "Amazon rarely goes on record to talk about any of their shows, but the [top brass] has talked about how Breathe 2 received tremendous love from the audience. I respect the opinion of critics, who thought the series was simplistic, convenient and not pacy enough. But, at the end of the day, I will quote what Amazon says: All that matters to us is what the customers are saying. The pace and length of a show are subjective. Plus, slow burn appeals to a huge section of the audience."

Although the producer remains tight-lipped about the third instalment, he acknowledges that the second edition — which also featured Amit Sadh and Nithya Menen — was designed to pave the way for a larger story. "We have intentionally left it at a point where we have the option of taking the story ahead. The [season] finale ends with C-16 and we want people to keep guessing what it is. The cliffhanger was the most debated point of the show."

Raat Akeli Hai and Shakuntala Devi's background score composer, Karan Kulkarni says to do what he does, you need to love movies as much as music
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; August 2, 2020)

"Making background scores… it all happened by accident," says Karan Kulkarni. A fortunate accident it would seem, because Kulkarni is the man behind the scores for Abhishek Bachchan-starrer Breathe -  Into The Shadows, and now, Amazon Prime's upcoming film Shakuntala Devi and Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai. Both released this Friday. The Punekar, who moved to Mumbai to make it as a musician, tells us why he shifted tracks.

"I would have liked to do songs, and I have done many, but things are so controlled in the Bollywood music industry, that only a few directors manage to get their songs into movies. So here, I am, doing background music," he laughs, adding, "I guess, it's best to adapt."

Since Kulkarni moved to Mumbai nine years ago, he has given music for a short film directed by Vasan Bala. This was after he returned from Australia where he signed up for a music production course. He then started assisting music director Amit Trivedi, but it was with Bala's Peddlers in 2012 that his career truly kicked off. "That movie never released, but it gave me the chance to do something. Then I did Aligarh and Shahid, and it all took off from there."

He also may have been well accustomed to the wily ways of the music industry, and thus, started composing jingles for brands like Amazon and Flipkart. "I did Tumhari Sulu and Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, but as I said, it's all very controlled here—how much work a person actually gets [depends on other forces]. Web series have opened up the floor, and the bar is raised high, since you are competing with the best in the world. For example, Stranger Things, which has a great background score, is available to watch on the same platform as my work," says the 34-year-old.

Ask him what makes a music composer different from one who makes background scores, and his answer is deceptively simple. "You need to love movies! Otherwise, how will you know what fits with what? You also need to be able to tell a story through music—and be aware that change is constant, as emotions keep changing. So your music has to based on what's happening on the screen."

Keeping this in mind, Kulkarni's score for Breathe is more "psychological", with character themes for everyone. For Raat Akeli Hai, which is a murder mystery starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte, the music had to be darker. "For Shakuntala Devi, everything was more upbeat and positive. There is a certain brightness to it."

Personally, Kulkarni is inspired by music that is technology-driven, so composers like Trent Reznor are high on his listen list. After all, who can forget the brilliant score Reznor gave for Social Network, where the piano melody harbours the power to give rise to an emotion. And Kulkarni has made good use of technology this Coronavirus lockdown. He and his team completed the full score for Shakuntala Devi in four months of lockdown, sometimes going to a studio, but mostly working out of their bedrooms. "It was quite tricky, but we managed. We exchanged samples, and put it all together. It has been a lesson."

Here on, Kulkarni has decided to take on less work. "There are a few projects that have come up, but I am going to take it slow. I am utilising this time to study. I am practising guitar, and also working on the tabla, which is a brand new instrument for me. After a very long time, I am a student again, and I am completely enjoying it."

With Avrodh depicting the 2016 surgical strikes, Amit Sadh says he is unfazed by comparisons with Vicky Kaushal's Uri
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; August 4, 2020)

It has been a busy month for Amit Sadh. After Breathe -  Into The Shadows, the actor had three more releases — Shakuntala Devi, Yaara and Avrodh: The Siege Within — all in a span of four weeks. "When I didn't have work, people complained that they don't get to see me. So, I'm sure my fans will be thrilled to see my work back-to-back. All I did was to submit to the masterplan that the universe had for me," grins the actor.

His latest series on Sony LIV, Avrodh, a retelling of the 2016 surgical strikes, is based on a chapter from Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh's book, India's Most Fearless. The nine-part series, which was conceptualised after eight months of research, was ready since late last year. "I was offered this role when I was lean and weighed about 72 kilos, and was filming my cameo in Super 30. The director [Raj Acharya] gave me pictures of men in Special Forces who had big builds. That is when I took the challenge [of bulking up]. My brother, who is in the Indian Army, introduced me to someone in the Special Force units. Their training protocol, manner of functioning, orders and responses are quite different from regular armed forces."

Before facing the camera as a Special Force officer, Sadh read India's Most Fearless as part of his prep. "I have read both their books [in the series]. Their research in the books has been accepted by the army chief, and several others in the armed forces." The actor reveals arrangements are underway for a screening of the series for the army personnel.

The 2016 Uri attacks has already been depicted on the big screen with the much acclaimed Uri: The Surgical Strikes. Comparisons with the Vicky Kaushal-starrer do not bother Sadh. "I am like Arjun with my eyes trained on the target. We didn't make Avrodh keeping such comparisons in mind. Uri was a great film and I am a fan of Vicky's work. I will be thrilled if Vicky watches the series," he says.

While Abhishek Bachchan-fronted Breathe 2 has its share of fans, the series was panned by critics for its contrived storytelling. Says Sadh, "I have only read the audience's reviews, and they have loved it. I only consider the views expressed by the audience, my director, and the studio. With due respect, I will not [pay heed] to criticism by five people, who are doing the job of giving star ratings. I prefer to know whether my fans liked my work or not."

Despite Breathe -  Into The Shadows receiving an unfavourable response, South actor Nithya Menen on why it is one of her best performances
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; July 21, 2020)

It's always a delight to watch Nithya Menen on screen. So, when she ranks her performance in Breathe -  Into The Shadows as one of her finest, it can't be taken lightly. While the recently dropped psychological thriller has received brickbats and bouquets, Menen has been unanimously praised for her heartwrenching act of a mother desperate to find her missing child. In a chat with mid-day, the South actor discusses making her web debut with the Amazon Prime Video offering and finding the rare synergy with director Mayank Sharma.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

Did you have any apprehensions about taking up Breathe 2 considering it was largely centred on Abhishek Bachchan's character?
It was quite the opposite. When I heard the script, I thought it was a rare find and an endless canvas [of possibilities]. How often do you get a series with hours and hours of great content? My character was beautifully written with layers to her, offering me the chance to do a lot in terms of performance.

If you had to, which of your three projects would you send to your favourite director as an audition tape?
Breathe would top the list. In fact, after we finished shooting, I remember telling Mayank [Sharma, director] that I would pull out my portions from the series and use them as an audition tape. Breathe has been my best performance so far. OK Kanmani [2015] would be second and lastly, Psycho, where I played a quadriplegic officer.

Considering you have rated Breathe as your best performance, what aspects have you covered as an actor in this series?
The makers gave me space and silence to understand [my character]. There was synergy between my director and me, our wavelength and sensibilities matched. [At times], we would understand each other without having to verbally communicate. I felt understood as an actor, which helped me alter myself emotionally while playing Abha. Of course, credit goes to the writers because they help enhance your acting.

Mayank was convinced that I was the perfect choice for Abha after watching me in Mani sir's film [OK Kanmani]. I was never treated like a newbie because everybody was well-aware of my past works even before they approached me for the role. I was the favourite on set.

Who did you connect with the most among your co-stars?
While I had a great collaboration with everyone, working with Amit [Sadh] helped me understand the true nature of a give-and-take relationship between co-stars. The synergy, where you can feed off each other's energy, is rare. I also shared sizable chunk of my scenes with Shruti [Bapna].

Do you think the series helped you grab eyeballs?
I am hoping Breathe will bring me projects that can help me achieve my potential.

After working with Bachchan Jr in Breathe -  Into The Shadows, Saiyami Kher on how he is far removed from her contemporaries
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 15, 2020)

Despite the future looking rather bleak and uncertain amidst the lockdown, the one person who is relishing a well-deserved golden run is Saiyami Kher. A month after featuring in Anurag Kashyap's Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai, the actor has put forth a brilliant performance in Amazon Prime's latest show Breathe -  Into The Shadows. "This is the first time I am being appreciated for the work I have done. But I don't have the sense of 'Hey, I have arrived!' It's taken four years, [after my first film, Mirzya, 2016], to get celebrated filmmakers like Anubhav Sinha, Imtiaz Ali and Zoya Akhtar to reach out and compliment my work. I have a bittersweet feeling. Right now, while there is so much love coming our way, we are longing to cherish this feeling collectively in each other's company," says the actor who hoped to celebrate the adulation with co-stars Abhishek Bachchan, Amit Sadh and Nithya Menen.

Interestingly, Kher signed Breathe even before Choked, but it is serendipity that the two released in close proximity. "Like most, I had thoroughly enjoyed the first season [of Breathe]. When you work with someone like Abhishek, you feel encouraged to do your best. So far, I have worked with contemporaries like Roshan [Mathew, co-star from Choked] and Harsh Varrdhan [Kapoor]. [In comparison, Abhishek] has way more experience, yet a calm demeanour. It was a learning experience seeing how he does not let his surname interfere on set. Work around him was fun, especially since we bonded over our love for football," says the actor as she acknowledges being a sports buff.

As the discussion around the toxic star structure of the industry came to the fore in the last one month, it was imperative to talk about how far Kher has come in her career. After the debacle of Mirzya, the actor was dropped unceremoniously from projects including a Mani Ratnam film for which she had completed costume trials.

Partly gratified, and presumably vindicated, the actor says nothing succeeds like success. "I believe in innovating to keep myself happy. With OTT platforms, avenues for actors like me have widened. During Mirzya, people had hyped me up given the scale of the film and the launch of the star kid attached to it. But, coming from a small town, I was aware that this industry is fickle. Success and failures should never be taken seriously. I am overwhelmed about Choked, but I will never forget the people who backed me when Mirzya failed. Projects will and won't work, but my biggest learning is to let failure make you better, as taught by Anurag sir and my guru Adil Hussain. Remind yourself that you started acting because you like acting, not because you wanted the fame or money. Those are obvious byproducts but not your end goal. It was a tough phase until Breathe came along, Choked and Special Ops happened."

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; July 13, 2020)

Abhishek Bachchan and Amit Sadh recently dubbed for the English version of their new web series  Breathe -  Into The Shadows at a studio in Versova. Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan on Saturday night, through social media, shared the news that they both have tested positive for Coronavirus. Those who had come in contact with them are bound to get tested as a precautionary measure.

In the past few days, Abhishek and Amit were photographed stepping out of the suburban dubbing studio. Talking to Bombay Times, Amit said, “My family and I are getting tested for COVID-19 as we speak. We all are tense. Abhishek and I never dubbed together. No two actors can do that. Yes, we were dubbing for our web series, but he did it in the morning and I did it later in the day. In fact, I just dubbed for two days. I used to walk in at the time when he would be walking out. I don’t want people to go by the paparazzi pictures and assume that we dubbed together. We obliged for pictures together, that’s it.”

When asked about the safety measures taken at the studio, he explained that all safety measures were followed and nobody was allowed inside while an actor was dubbing. When asked if the actors wore masks while dubbing, Amit said, “You can’t wear masks while dubbing. That’s not possible.” The actor’s COVID-19 test results are currently awaited.

As Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan are hospitalised after testing COVID-19 positive, filming of latter's The Big Bull deferred; Kolkata schedule of Bob Biswas pushed to post-monsoon
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; July 13, 2020)

Since Saturday night, Twitter has been flooded with wishes of speedy recovery after Amitabh Bachchan informed his legion of fans that he had tested positive for Coronavirus. The veteran — along with actor-son Abhishek Bachchan, who is also infected — was admitted to Nanavati Hospital in Vile Parle. While the two are stable and showing mild symptoms, the next 20 days will be crucial as they undergo treatment.

The recent development puts the brakes on their professional commitments. Bachchan has no shoot lined up until September when Kaun Banega Crorepati 12 is expected to roll. It may be recalled that adhering to the lockdown rules, the megastar, in May, had shot the game show's promo in the confines of his home as Nitesh Tiwari directed him virtually.

On his part, Abhishek followed the safety guidelines as he began dubbing for Breathe - Into The Shadows at an Andheri recording studio, after the restrictions were partially lifted in June. With the Amazon Prime Video series dropping online over the weekend, the actor was to train his focus on the five-day schedule of The Big Bull.

"We had maintained that we will begin shooting by July-end or early August. We can easily push the shoot to a later date now. After all, their health comes first," says producer Anand Pandit, who promptly reached out to Abhishek after hearing of their ill-health. "My prayers are with Bachchan saab and him. I am sure they will be fine." Despite the delay, Pandit is assured that the financial crime drama will be able to meet its deadline. "The October release of The Big Bull stands unchanged. We may have to expedite the post-production work to meet the release date."

The actor, 44, was to resume work on Sujoy Ghosh's Bob Biswas in Kolkata, in August. A source close to the project reveals, "Even though shoots have begun, stricter lockdown rules have been imposed in the city now. Several areas of south Kolkata are identified as containment zones. In light of the situation and Abhishek's health, the producers have deferred the week-long shoot; they will probably head to work only post-monsoon."

Home Quarantine For Aishwarya, Aaradhya
Abhishek Bachchan confirmed on Twitter on Sunday afternoon that wife Aishwarya and daughter Aaradhya had also tested positive. He added that the duo will be self-quarantining at home. Though Jaya Bachchan, who recently returned from Delhi, has tested negative, sources close to the family say she is being closely monitored for symptoms. Meanwhile, Amit Sadh, who met Abhishek during the dubbing of Breathe 2, informed his fans that he has taken "a precautionary COVID test" and is awaiting the results.

Parent to eight-year-old Aaradhya, Abhishek Bachchan on playing a father in Breathe 2, and the importance of character-building for the web
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; July 7, 2020)

"One of the most significant aspects of long-form narration — as in the case of a web show — is the amount of time that must be devoted to character-building," says Abhishek Bachchan. For his role of a psychiatrist dealing with the kidnapping of his daughter in Breathe -  Into The Shadows, Bachchan had ample discussion, debates too, with director Mayank Sharma.

"Since we were not confined to a time window, we focused [on building] characteristics for Avinash, and [deciphering] how he would react in a situation. There are character traits that could be used later [in the show]. For instance, in one scene, Nitya [name of his wife's character] and Avinash see their daughter after a long time on an iPad that they receive. While Nitya's reaction is maternal, Avinash doesn't react. There was thought put into why he wouldn't be dramatic. He is a weighted person. As a psychiatrist, he is accustomed to dealing with bad news, and it takes a lot to faze him," Bachchan tells mid-day of the show that releases on Amazon Prime Video on July 10.

The second part of the series, that also features Amit Sadh, has him father a young daughter who meets an ill fate. Bachchan agrees that being a parent to Aaradhya, eight, had him draw from experiences while enacting the role. "Ten years ago, I would have performed this part based on conjecture. Now, as a dad, [I] could understand the bond and the depth of a child's emotions," he signs off.

Foraying into the digital world with Breathe -  Into The Shadows, Abhishek Bachchan on how the lack of box-office pressure makes it an artiste-friendly medium
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; July 2, 2020)

The gripping trailer of Breathe -  Into The Shadows only proves what we knew all this while — Abhishek Bachchan, who returned to the big screen with Manmarziyaan (2018) after a two-year hiatus, will not settle for the ordinary in his second innings. The actor is intrigued as well as excited as he forays into the digital world with the Amazon Prime Video series.

Though he is headlining the sophomore season of the thriller, Bachchan says he walked into the project with a clean slate. "I loved the first episode of the first season. I purposely didn't watch the rest of the edition because I didn't want to be influenced by it. Mayank [Sharma, creator-director] has incorporated some of his learnings from the first season into this one," says the actor, who plays a parent searching for his missing child

In the cut-throat competitive world of films, Friday box-office numbers create an undue pressure on actors. In contrast, the digital world is considered an artiste-friendly medium, allowing actors to focus solely on their craft. "There is less judgment here than in cinema. That said, the pressure to perform still exists because people will judge your work — be it the social media users or the critics. There will be a discussion on whether they like the show and your performance. But, the pressure is less because there is no [discussion on] box-office figures."

With several films being web-bound, the dialogue around theatres losing their charm has intensified. However, Bachchan believes the advent of OTT has raised the bar. "The past two years have been a brilliant time for cinema, too. The streaming services are pushing filmmakers to up their game. However, the experience of going to a movie hall cannot be matched by an OTT platform."

That's the man from LA, responsible for around 20 hours of fresh, quality entertainment, while we've been holed up at homes past few months!
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; June 27, 2020)

James Farrell, sitting in his Los Angeles home, and on a screen before me in Mumbai, is one of India's biggest stars. Except that few in India, even in the movie industry, would've heard of him; let alone met him. And Farrell is not an actor. So, how is he a star in the showbiz sense? Let me explain.

By movie-market definition, a star is someone who green-lights scripts, unlocks the budget potential of a project. And gets a big film on the floors. Why? Because the star, by virtue of a fan-base, or captive audience, ensures that people will give the product a shot, on Day One of its screening. So, some part of the financial risk is covered. What happens thereafter, of course, depends on the word-of-mouth that follows the early/weekend shows.

Match my analogy for a second. And you'll realise that popular streaming giants — like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Zee5, or Disney+ Hotstar — perform precisely the same mainstreaming role for a script as a traditional star. Even more so in the current, Coronavirus scenario, where cinemas/multiplexes as an entertainment window no longer exist — although one hopes that's an extremely temporary situation.

Farrell heads International Originals at Amazon Prime Video. Working out of LA, he's the final green-lighting authority for Amazon's shows in India. Those creative decisions and mainstream movie budgets based on stories, and scripts alone — rather than the cast attached, or interested financiers thereby (or traditional Bollywood, so to say).

Unsure of what he makes of my 'OTT, the new star' analogy. Farrell should be glad that all his Amazon Original series in 2020 have been warmly received by captive audiences on his platform/fan-base.

And the shows couldn't have been more diverse from each other: Four More Shots Please was the Indian 'Sex And The City' womance, upping the ante as a sequel. Panchayat — a warm, coming-of-age drama, set in a village in Uttar Pradesh, without any guns/violence involved — something Bollywood would never touch with a box-office pole. And, Paatal Lok — perhaps the most delightful yet disturbing, deliriously dark, Indian crime-thriller ever!

All these showed up back-to-back, like precious gifts delivered home by Amazon. While India, like most of the world, was under lockdown — desperate for distraction from a 'Groundhog day'! These three shows equal over 15 hours of life. Plus, there was the first season of The Forgotten Army, that dropped earlier this year, raising the bar on scale for an Indian war-drama. In terms of quality, they pit Amazon Prime, arguably, if not convincingly ahead of all its competitors in India.

The fact that they've got it right across genres makes one wonder, seriously, what's the strategy? "Strategy is the same everywhere. India is the best example," says Farrell. "[As a service], we're lucky to be bundled as part of Amazon Prime. We're not a standalone video/music app. We don't have to create a large volume, or hours [of content]. Somebody's going to avail of other benefits on Prime as well. This gives us the time to focus on quality. So long as we can present one great show a month, we're super happy. You don't have that kind of luxury, if you're a broadcaster, or a stand-alone streaming service."

Of course the Indian market with its own multiple languages allows for greater depth, something Farrell says he's exploring, "ramping up teams for Tamil, Telugu [content]." Note that content in Amazon's case essentially means series. Unlike Netflix and others that also roll out a bunch of original films, as against acquired productions alone.

Farrell says, "The reason we haven't produced films in India in a real sense is because we have such good relations with [Bollywood's big production houses] Yash Raj, Excel, T-Series, Dharma and all these folks. We license their films, right after theatrical release. We're happy with that. Producers and theatre owners are happy with that too."

It's a win-win, yes. Just not sure about the relationship between theatre owners and Amazon for the time being. On June 12, the platform released Shoojit Sircar's Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurana starrer Gulabo Sitabo, making it the first hardcore Bollywood film to drop directly on an OTT platform, indicating a commercial coup of sorts. This shook up the cinema/exhibition industry at once, with at least two multiplex chains, PVR and Inox, publicly shooting off angry letters, screaming blue murder.

"Well, COVID is a tough spot [for everyone]. The filmmakers were in a tough spot. And we tried to help out," Farrell reasons. What that move also momentarily upended, again, was the Bollywood star-system. Which is based on box-office figures of films. And OTT platforms principally do not reveal viewership numbers. So how do I know, in a conventional sense, if Gulabo Sitabo was a hit, given that there's been a parallel industry in place, tracking this data for decades?

"Good question. If it's a series, I guess you'll know soon as we announce Season 2," Farrell smiles. "But there are independent tracking systems like Nielsen for the US broadcasting industry. They didn't start the day TV started. Likewise, it will take some time for a system to develop [for OTTs]. There are already research agencies that make estimates of how many viewers we, or Hotstar, have. Can't say if the numbers are accurate. But they aren't that far off."

Farrell is perhaps referring to research-agency Media Planner Asia, recently quoted in Forbes US, that pegged Prime Video paid subscribers to 17 million in India, by year-end. Second to Disney+ Hotstar at 18 million (thanks in part to live sports, and 'catch-up TV'). Netflix India, with a much higher subscription rate, is seen lagging for now, at 5 million.

While green-lit sequels are indeed indicators for surefire popularity of a series, Amazon Prime did, perhaps for the first time, officially announce in May that Four More Shots Please was the most watched Indian show on their platform, thus far, in 2020. Why make the exception?

Farrell admits, "It is not a common thing. But the [central] question nearly nailed on our [office] doors is: Is this good for the customer? Just bragging about certain numbers is not. This was just a good story to tell, and we can help the show. It's always about that."

Also, shows tend to organically grow in scale/budget as a franchise, with subsequent successes. Case in point: Money Heist on Netflix. Case Two? Four More Shots had Goa for its only outdoor location. The sequel travelled to Istanbul and Udaipur. The third one, I'm told, will travel to Europe.

"That's speculation," Aparna Purohit gently interrupts. Purohit heads Indian original content, based in Mumbai. She's been on shadow-mute, throughout this video-conference call with Farrell. Clarifying at another point, when asked why the original author Tarun Tejpal — on whose book (The Story of My Assassins), Paatal Lok was based — wasn't credited at all on-screen, Purohit says, "We've stated our position. The creators were inspired by the book. But the author had no role in the development of story, characters, or production of the show."

Paatal Lok is Farrell's favourite series from the Indian slate. And he's equally excited about Breathe -  Into The Shadows: "People are going to be shocked by the twists and turns on that one." In another rare instance revealing numbers, Farrell points out that of the entire audience of Breathe—the first season, starring R Madhavan—around 40-50 per cent came from outside India. "With the second season coming back (on July 10), with Abhishek (Bachchan), think it'll go even bigger."

Given the platform is the same, and already paid for; and story, location, scale and casting top-notch: Does it matter so much if an established star Bachchan is the lead in a series (Breathe 2)? Or Jitendra Kumar (in Panchayat), or Jaideep Ahlawat (in Paatal Lok)? Akshay Kumar is slated for his OTT debut on Amazon. Their forthcoming show Bandish Bandits stars only new faces in main roles.

Farrell argues, "There are only three pieces of data we look at: One, how many people watched the show? Two, how many people signed up [to the platform] to watch it? Three, how many people finished it [watched it till the end]? Big stars will incentivise more people to click on the show, and/or sign up for the service. But after that, it's really up to the show, or film. Also, they aren't stars for no reason—they're actors, who've got charisma, and are uniquely suited to some roles." And Amazon's video section is doing well enough to afford them. Fair.


A still from Pataal Kok


A still from Four More Shots Please