Following the success of their Israeli TV series Fauda, its creators Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff are enjoying the immense love they are getting from fans – be it in Jakarta, Colombia or especially India. The duo, who recently visited India to attend a film festival, says they’re bowled over by people’s warmth. “When we landed here, at immigration, the officer looked at me, and said, ‘I saw Fauda three times’,” Lior, who also acted in the show, told us, adding, “Then I lost my baggage, and the officers helped me and they (all) knew who I was. It is so nice to know that people all over the world, and especially India, appreciate your work. It’s not easy, as sometimes you get mobbed and sometimes I try to hide myself. But when someone says they want to take a picture, for me, it’s just their way of expressing their love. ”

Avi told us, “We are working on a true story that follows an Indian guy and if everything falls in place, we will be filming in India. The lead character of the show is based in Delhi. The story starts here (in India) and it develops and goes to England and Russia. This is at an early stage. We want to shoot here and work and produce here. This is why we are coming back again soon to Mumbai to talk with Indian companies and producers.”‘

While dealing with such a sensitive topic, Fauda creators said that authenticity is crucial. Since they have both worked as undercover agents, how do they draw the line between what to reveal and what not to?

Avi said, “We both know what we shouldn’t expose. There is an ongoing dialogue between us about how far we can go without putting anyone in danger. We both were in a unit that was nothing like on show, which belongs to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). And we both have been very careful with human life in what we do (pauses)...I have to say that reality brings all kinds of meanings and events that we could not really expect to happen and we could not imagine will happen. But it’s a very weird life in Israel and in the Middle East (in a way) that sometimes reality is way bigger than fiction.” 

Lior added, “What is interesting is that because of the show, there is an increase in young people who want to be in those units. There are thousands more people who want to join these units. The number has doubled. People really want to be a part of that unit. This is a byproduct of what we are doing.”

Talking about the impact of Fauda across the world and in the Middle East, Lior said, “We were surprised that it was number 1 on the streaming platform in Lebanon and in the Top 10 all over the Arab world. There was an article about us in a newspaper in Egypt that stated that we have changed Arab people’s perspective on Israel. Until now, it was all about propaganda. But you see, as people, we are all good sometimes and we are bad sometimes. And not just other countries, but even in Israel, people feel compassion for those who are on the other side too. People who support Palestinians sometimes feel compassion for the Israeli side as well.”

“The people who surrounded us here (in India) were so kind and polite. I was eating all the time here, everybody here wants us to eat a lot because they love us,” said Lior. “Fourteen years ago, I wanted to go on a spiritual trip, so I chose the south of India. With a good friend of mine, I started the trip on a motorcycle and we just travelled from Goa to Hampi to Kerala and we met so many interesting and loving people. It was the most spiritual moment of my life to be in India for a few weeks, just to travel and meet people. Now when I came to Goa this time again, I felt immediately at home. It was a great experience and I’d love to explore more,” added Lior, to which Avi agreed.

As fans wait for the fourth season of Fauda to drop on Netflix, the first episode of the hit series was premiered at the 53rd International Film Festival of India, held in Goa, recently, with the creators of the show, Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, in attendance.

“When we heard about [the festival], we said, ‘Erase everything from our schedule – we want to be there in India.’ It’s the natural [choice] to premiere the show because of the love people watching our show here give us,” shares Raz.

Somehow, the duo find the show’s massive popularity in India rather “strange”. “It is not common that you have people from this country follow you and try to interact. We are getting a response from people all over the world, but the most delicate, nicest messages are from Indians. Here when someone wants a selfie, they ask first, and don’t just go for it,” exclaims Issacharoff.

The show is based on the duo’s time in the Israeli Defense Forces, and this personal touch is what clicked with the audiences. “Everybody can connect with stories of people and their journeys. The atmosphere in Israel is very chaotic, and when you see the journeys of the characters, you understand,” says Raz, who also stars in the show, before adding, “We don’t really know what the secret to Fauda being such a big hit is, and we don’t want to know. We just want to continue what we are doing.”

The OTT boom enabled a rapid exchange of entertainment all over the world, and the duo agree that Israeli content benefited in the process. “Ten years ago, if you had said ‘People in India will watch your content’, I’d say you took the wrong pill that morning. It’s a new era — I can sit in my house and watch Indian content. People in India and Sri Lanka watch Israeli content,” says Issacharoff.

The explosion of OTT content has also brought about a change in viewers’ preferences, and star casts are no more a sure-shot hit formula. “All of us have the same emotions, we laugh, hate, [feel] connected. We want to be moved by somebody’s story, it doesn’t matter what the language. OTT brought it to the table,” Raz adds.

The series saw its official Hindi adaptation Tanaav, drop recently. Do they ever plan to create something for Indian audiences? “We haven’t seen enough Indian content, but we want to. Being in the country and understanding how big the market and potential is, is making us hungry,” Raz says, recalling how as a kid, he would watch Indian films at home. “I remember the dances and the colours, which were so strong. Some of them really inspired us to tell a story. A part of that is from the films we have seen from India,” he adds.

Whatever other work they do, comparisons with their first show always arise. Do they feel the pressure? “This is our first baby... Of course, when we had Hit & Run, there were comparisons. I know it’s the natural tendency of people. We, as creators, are also looking for something new. We don’t want another Fauda, it’s unique and specific,” Raz signs off.

Fauda creators Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, who’re currently on a two-day visit to India, attended the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Sunday. The two had a chat with Rajkummar Rao on the topic Storytelling in the Era of Global Entertainment and spoke about their desire to collaborate with Indian creators.

Fauda creators shared that when they started the project, they thought that nobody would watch the show. Lior said, “After the release of the first season, it became a hit and we thought that now we have to bring in more action in the show. People love the show because of how it is. You (as a viewer) feel like you are part of what’s happening, you are a fly on the wall. And we didn’t want to change that. We are not trying to be something that we are not. We are not trying to make it a Hollywood show and we are not trying to make it a Bollywood show. We are trying to make it the same thing that we already did. And this is the secret of the show.”

Avi added, “The most important thing was to match the expectations. The expectations after the first season became very high, then the second and then the third. After the third season, people thought we are not gonna go further. We were very surprised that we could match the challenges of the show. One of the ideas here is to keep the authenticity alive. It is not true, it is not a documentary, it is fiction, but you have to make people feel that it is authentic. Fauda was a very local Israeli show that became an international show. ”

The makers of Fauda have also collaborated with Indian creators, and a collaborative project is in the pipeline. Appealing to Indian creators, Lior Raz said, “I want to say this to those attending the screening – if there are any creators or producers here, then we are very much open to collaborating with you. We really want to collaborate with the Indian industry.”

Sharing how working in a web series helps an artiste, Rajkummar said, “It really helps when your work can travel globally. I remember after Ludo, even though theatres were not functioning, I got messages from people from the US, UK, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, which meant that people were watching Indian content globally. That’s what we want. A story like Fauda resonates with us. Art has no borders; if you make a good story, it will have a global appeal. You need to be grounded and you need to be rooted with your content. You can’t really make something which is surreal or unreal. You need to be authentic. That’s why Monica O My Darling or Badhaai Do work well. They are pushing makers.”

Commenting on what avenues streaming platforms have opened for him, Rajkummar said, “I wanted to do a series. Doing a series really enhances you as an artiste because you get to play the character for a longer duration. That’s what I felt while doing Guns & Gulaabs. I love watching films on streaming platforms. Watching other people’s work really inspires you as an artiste. I saw Kantara recently, and I was really inspired because it was such a rooted story. You can’t make a film thinking that I want to reach out to a global audience. You have to be true to the content and your heart should be in the right place.”

Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content, Netflix India, added, “What exactly is global storytelling? Stories are stories. They have to have authenticity and emotions. If you are working in your own bubble and you pick a story and say that it is going to work for an international audience – well, there is no ‘international audience’. There is nothing called an international audience.”

Fauda was earlier named Undercover, but later the name of the show was changed. Talking about the title, Avi said, “Fauda means ‘chaos’ in Arabic. Why did two Israeli-Jewish creators pick an Arabic name? The reason was that it had a double-edged meaning. It also has an Israeli meaning. And for us soldiers, who worked in undercover units, that was the code used when things turned messy. This is the word that you report in walkie talkie – ‘Fauda!, Fauda!, Fauda!’ and that is a sign for the rescue team to come.”

Raz added, “It is a very common word in Israel. Now everyone in Israel talks like – Oh! there is fauda in football games, there is fauda in politics. Nobody knew what fauda meant when we started the show, but now it is what everyone talks about.”

In the past few months, producer Sameer Nair has often been asked why he chose to make Tanaav when its source material, the popular Israeli series Fauda, is available to stream in India. His reason is simple — he wanted to take an important story to a wider audience.

“Often, people ask us, ‘What about those who have seen Fauda?’ I tell them, ‘If you don’t want to, don’t watch Tanaav.’ You don’t have to see it, and then make comparisons. That’s not the reason why we made it. In India, only the upper-class audience has watched international shows. Reimagination [allows us] to take it to a wider audience. We aren’t trying to copy, or be better,” begins Nair, whose Applause Entertainment has backed the political thriller starring Manav Vij, Arbaaz Khan, Rajat Kapoor and Ekta Kaul.

The journey of Tanaav began three years ago when Nair’s production house initiated a conversation with Yes Studios that backed Fauda. It was decided that Nair and his team would prepare a presentation about their vision to adapt Lior Riaz and Avi Issacharoff’s story in the Indian setting. While the original explored the Israel-Palestine dispute, the Sony LIV offering focuses on the conflict between state-run Special Task Group (STG) and militants in Kashmir.

“The beauty of formats is that a story can get a new life and identity,” says Sharon Levi, managing director, Yes Studios. She adds that Fauda on Netflix India only serves as a promotional tool for Tanaav rather than competition.

The makers of Tanaav had to not only tell a distinct story, but also address the volatile geo-politics of Kashmir accurately. Nair assures that they have been mindful. “Sudhir [Mishra, director] and I had numerous discussions about this. There’s nothing to be offended about. We have made the show thoughtfully and sensitively,” he states.

Bringing Kashmir’s complex history of turmoil to the screen is not easy. Neither is adapting the popular Israeli show, Fauda (2015). Sudhir Mishra took on the dual challenge as he helmed Tanaav.

“I had seen Fauda long [ago]. I didn’t watch it again [before adapting it]. After a while, you have to forget the original, and reimagine it,” says Mishra, who has shared the directorial responsibility with Sachin Krishn.

In the Sony LIV series starring Manav Vij, Sumit Kaul, Rajat Kapoor and Arbaaz Khan, a Special Task Group agent comes out of his retirement to chase a much-dreaded terrorist, who was believed to be dead. Given the sensitive subject, adopting a humane approach was key.

“As storytellers, you try and understand it in a human way. Of course, everything [in Kashmir] is political, and affects the lives of people in the state. It’s up to people how they understand [the situation]. If you are not sensationalist, which I am not, and if you are not itching for a controversy, then you deal with the story in a compassionate way,” states Mishra.

Israeli journalist Avi Issacharoff and actor Lior Raz created the popular series, Fauda, based on their experiences in the Israel Defence Forces. Director Sudhir Mishra has adapted the political thriller for the Indian audience with Tanaav, featuring Manav Vij, Rajat Kapoor, Arbaaz Khan, Zarina Wahab, Ekta Kaul and others.

When Sameer Nair’s Applause Entertainment bought the adaptation rights of the series, the primary need was to reimagine the milieu. The team decided to set the political thriller in Kashmir. “The original is a tale about Israel and Palestine, distinctly a story of Jewish-Muslim conflict. When you set it in Kashmir, the tendency is to make it an Indo-Pak story. We decided that we’ll depict a political scenario happening in Kashmir,” says the producer.

Nair asserts that the team steered clear of religious broad-stroking. “Our hero is a Muslim, working for the Indian intelligence agency taking on another Muslim, who works for an independent organisation. Around them are a whole set of people who may be Hindu or Muslim.”

At its heart, the upcoming Sony LIV series is a story about identity. Nair cites an interesting example to establish this. “We have two characters called Malik in the show — one is a Punjabi Malik, the head of an intelligence bureau in India. The other is a man in Pakistan. These nuances were important to establish the idea of how identities are derived from the same nation. Bringing the local Kashmiri culture was pivotal. In Fauda, the terrain is dry and brown. Kashmir is jannat, so the look was [changed].”

He is not worried about comparisons with the original that has become immensely popular around the globe. “The idea is to take the germ of the same story and tell it to a wider and new audience. If someone has watched Fauda, they aren’t my audience. The idea is to bring in our actors and our cinematic syntax.”