There are no good or bad people, only bad circumstances. This central thought is seamlessly conveyed in the two seasons of Asur. On the surface, the Jio Cinema offering revolves around the cat-and-mouse chase between two forensic experts and a serial killer. But what sets it apart from many others in the genre is that it has Indian mythology at its heart, with the central parts essayed by Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti and Vishesh Bansal inspired by mythological characters.

Creator-showrunner-writer Gaurav Shukla, who has penned the latest season with Abhijeet Khuman, shares that he began writing Asur’s script in 2009 and struggled to find takers for his unique idea. 

“Although everyone liked the concept, no one wanted to make it into a film or series because they [were dissatisfied about] one hero being in jail and the other in captivity.”

It was the need to tell an original story that pushed Shukla to set his story against the backdrop of an investigation of a serial killer. “The idea was to showcase a story rooted in India. That’s how we came up with the idea of having a killer with a mythological bent of mind,” he says.

Creating a thriller with mythology as its foundation was not going to be easy. Shukla says that the initial idea was to base the story on other asurs, but during their extensive research, they chanced upon Kali and Kalki — while the former represents chaos and destruction, Kalki is a symbol of hope and redemption.

“We realised that basing it on Kali would make the series more contemporary. We [could showcase] how Kali would come back in the kalyug to bring [a change in the order in the world]. The idea germinated from the fact that [some people with] strong belief in mythology try to align the Nakshatra [stars] to have a blessed child. That was the starting point.”

Khuman shares that their primary research on Kali and Kalki came from a few ancient texts. “We referred to Kalki Puran, Markandeya Puran, Adhyatma Upanishad, Vishnu Puran, Bhavishya Puran, Ashtavakra Gita, Katha Upanishad, and some portions were taken from Mahabharata and Rigveda as well. We concentrated on the parts where Kali’s genesis is mentioned. [Concepts taken from] the vedas and upanishads are accurate, but we didn’t study every part of it. There are millions of stories in those texts and it would become impossible to conclude it. Our focus was on Kali and Kalki.”

The conflict between the good and evil is a running theme in the series, depicted through Bansal’s character Shubh, who believes he is a reborn as Kali in kalyug and wants to compel Kalki for a duel. More importantly, it also depicts the far-reaching consequences of mental and physical abuse in one’s childhood.

“It is Shubh’s transformation [after years of mental and physical abuse at the hand] of his father that led me to see the concept of Kali and Kalki,” says Shukla. The mythological story of how the gods cheated the demons to gain the nectar of immortality is one of the stories that shape Shubh’s belief system. 

Khuman adds, “He justifies his actions by pointing out that no one [including gods] is devoid of evil thoughts and actions when it comes to their own selfish reasons.”

Shukla interjects to say that Shubh views the world differently. “[His belief] is not stemming from mythology, nor did reading literature influence him. He was so evolved that all that knowledge let him see the world differently. According to him, if all the people in the world are good, why is there still chaos? So, maybe a change in order is necessary. It was his way to create equilibrium in society.”

In contrast to Shubh’s grey character are Warsi’s Dhananjay and Sobti’s Nikhil. Through them, the writers wanted to explore the ideas of karma and destiny. Shukla adds, “We wished to showcase both [thought processes] on karma — results are destined, followed by karma. If someone is failing, can we change it through karma? Or is he failing because he is destined to fail? Personally as a creator and showrunner, I believed in Shubh’s philosophy [not his actions].”

- Kali, who is the Hindu goddess of ultimate power, time, and change, is born of war and wrath, symbolizing the vicious aspects of death and destruction. 

- Kalki is the tenth and final incarnation of the god Vishnu. The deity is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the cycle of existence.

- Karma is a concept of action, deed, and its consequences. In Indian religions, the term refers to a principle of cause and effect, often called the principle of karma, wherein intent and actions of an individual influence his/her future or fate.

Abhijeet Khuman and Gaurav Shukla

You won’t see too much of Barun Sobti on screen, and he likes it that way. After he shot to fame with his television show Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, the actor didn’t go on a signing spree, instead choosing his projects carefully. He is playing by his own rules in digital entertainment too. Sobti reprised his role of Nikhil Nair in the second season of Jio Cinema’s Asur. In conversation with mid-day, he talks about being off the radar, the mythology thriller’s popularity, and his belief in karma.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

Not really. People took notice of me and said, ‘You can act’. But it wasn’t as if I got any phenomenal roles after that. That could also be because I am spoilt for choice, and only pick up roles that I want to do. The only show that I would credit for putting me on the map is Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon. [After Asur], I was in the audience’s mind, but I was not offered mind-blowing roles. At the same time, itna mind-blowing kaam hota bhi nahin hai apne desh mein [laughs]. I am happy with how my career has shaped up, but I don’t know if it has happened because of Asur.

My wife and I watched it in two days straight. It’s so far ahead of the first season. I’d be lying if I said I was not looking at myself critically. If I see a series where I am good and everything else is bad, I will call [it out]. Conversely, if I were to see a show where I have not been good, but everybody else is phenomenal, I’d call that out too. With respect to Asur 2, everything was excellent.

She is an influential person in my life. When she backs what I am thinking, it solidifies my [stance]. She instantly liked [the show] too.

I read the whole script, then I prepare myself according to how I am placed in a [particular scene], and determine my road map. My character Nikhil Nair starts the second season with a lot of guilt. He is also the kind who doesn’t indulge much in vanity. He is focused on saving the world. That is why he sacrifices his daughter [in the previous season]. The show is about a national crisis more than how a family is affected by the [death of a child]. The bathtub sequence was consuming. I have a daughter, so [it helped me understand the nuances of the scene].

Gaurav Shukla is a phenomenal writer. The scale in the first season was much lower; the genius of the writing was that it could accommodate the [low] budget. In the second season, the show became quite big and could go anywhere. So, one could make a lot of mistakes too. Gaurav upgraded [the show] to [tackle] a bigger problem, instead of writing himself into a corner. I am not a big fan of [mythology], but it’s remarkable how Gaurav aligned it all together. Everyone is saying that Asur has done great, but I feel it is underrated.

I believe in time. I was taught in childhood, ‘Neki kar, dariya mein daal.’ That’s where I stand. I think people who believe in karma are the ones who are waiting for good things to happen to them because they did good.

I have three shows coming back-to-back — a romantic comedy called Badtameez Dil on Amazon miniTV, a crime thriller called Kohrra on Netflix, and a coming-of-drama Bawandar.

With a ‘one episode per day’ policy, fans of actor Arshad Warsi’s Asur 2 were eagerly awaiting its second season on June 1. Squashing this plan, pirates leaked the entire season on a few websites and the app Telegram, an infamous hotspot for pirated content.

On June 2, the streaming platform released a statement, which read: “... fans pleaded with the platform to release the balance episodes at one go... now decided to go ‘fan-first’ in its approach and give in to the crazy fandom. The platform will release the balance five episodes at one go today.” After being a major problem for cinemas, piracy has now hit the world of OTT. Trade analyst Atul Mohan says, “25-30 percent of any streaming platform’s monthly revenue is affected by piracy.”

We speak to makers to understand how one deals with the fallout.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta whose latest web show, Scoop, was also a victim of piracy, says, “My insurance agent sent me a screenshot from Scoop, saying ‘Congrats’. It had ‘HD RIP’ written at the bottom. I had to ask him why he was not watching it on the official platform. Piracy is taking away our audience.”

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023, entails that the unauthorised recording and exhibition of films in movie theatres is now an offence. The government can block websites where unauthorised copies of films are transmitted. This doesn’t extend to piracy on OTT.

Vani Tripathi Tikoo, Central Board of Film Certification member: “If the content, which is going to be streamed online, is going to be leaked online, then it is very dismal. The responsibility of subscription-based OTT platforms is now paramount. I barely see any films working in theatres. The regulation mechanism for OTT is different. The debate here should not be how to control this, but to check where the leakage happening. This specific case looks like mala fide intentions. It just doesn’t add up.”

In 2022, Disney+ Hotstar filed an FIR with Bengaluru’s cyber cell, against a few digital platforms that streamed its pirated content. According to a Digital TV Research report, in India, the loss of revenue for OTT, due to piracy was speculated to hit $3.08 billion last year.

Asur 2's creator and writer, Gaurav Shukla, says, “It was daylight robbery and quite disheartening. The content is free for consumers, but advertisers are paying for it. No matter how much you watch [the show] on torrents and free sites, success matters when you watch it on the platform. Views determine success, much like tickets for theatres. I was shocked that the print of the pirated copy was almost similar to the master copy. It was that good.”

Oni Sen, director says, “I am not too well-versed with how piracy affects the business, but I assume it will in some way. The show is available for free officially, so it’s baffling why it would be pirated. The season being leaked — that’s also worrying. A lot of us are baffled at how they managed to sneak the episodes out.”