Habib Faisal on foraying into the digital world with Home and the lessons he learnt as the captain of the ship
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; September 4, 2018)

Home marks your first web show. How different is it to helm a series vis-a-vis a film?
To me, a film is like a comic book, and a web series, like a novel. A comic book has to tell a story in 60-90 odd pages. In such a scenario, it's all about plotlines ­­— one incident leads to another. You can't explore the nuances because of the restricted time. On the other hand, a digital show gives you breathing space. Since it's viewing by appointment, you have the audience's unhindered attention. That allows makers to create things more cinematically.

What made you give a nod to the ALTBalaji show?
When I heard the premise of a middle-class residential society and their fight to save their homes after they are deemed illegal, I couldn't ask for more. My excitement stemmed from the fact that I have never dealt with a story that is set in Mumbai. Also, the setting of a housing society implied an ensemble of exciting characters. I love stories that allow me to play with people, whether it was the mohalla of Do Dooni Chaar (2010) or the warring families in Ishaqzaade (2012).

Is the series based on the Campa Cola case?
The case was a trigger. The point was that citizens found themselves on the wrong side of the law, and eventually, their hard-earned money was going to waste. But we haven't gone into the nitty-gritty of the Campa Cola case. Kalakruti is a fictional society.

What are the challenges you faced while making this show?
The show is written by Neeraj Udhwani, I am only directing it. Considering I am a control freak, it is a big challenge to direct someone else's work. Getting into a partnership with another writer has been a learning experience. Plus, this is my first web series. It's about making something cinematic on a smaller budget.

Producer Ekta Kapoor is known to be a control freak. How did you handle that?
I had my apprehensions until I took my first meeting with her. During the meeting, Ekta said that she wants me to have complete ownership of the show, and she has stood by that. Every episode was narrated to her. She would give me her feedback and if we disagreed, we'd work it out.

How do you alternate between the roles of writer and director?
When I wrote Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) for Maneesh [Sharma], there would be times when we would disagree. For example, in the last act, Shruti [Anushka Sharma's character] and Bittoo [Ranveer Singh's character] have a fight because she is engaged to another guy. I was not happy about the triangle. But since Maneesh and Adi [Aditya Chopra] wanted it, it was my job to service their vision. But as a director here, my job is to be half manager, half creative mind. The biggest plus here was that I didn't have to deal with myself as a writer.

What do you enjoy more — writing or filmmaking?
I miss writing when I am directing, and vice versa (laughs).

As Home gears up for release, society members claim show should've been run past them; writer says series not based on the incident
Mohar Basu and Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 30, 2018)

Karan Sethia, one of the residents of Worli's Campa Cola housing society, claims the promos of Ekta Kapoor's latest offering, Home, came as a rude shock to him. As the web series - which revolves around the residents of a housing society who are forced to vacate their flats after their building is deemed an illegal construction - gears up for release over the weekend, Sethia says that the makers should have sought the residents' approval, considering the show borrows from the real-life controversy.

"We had no idea about the show. We should have been involved during the making because it is an ongoing case, we can't afford to have the facts misrepresented," says Sethia, adding that the show's writer Neeraj Udhwani had reached out to him in 2016 to discuss the possibility of adapting the episode for the screen. "We took two meetings with him. I offered to put him through to other residents for research. But, he abruptly disappeared. We never gave him an approval."

Sethia says legal recourse against Kapoor is his last resort. "If the show depicts our fight, great. If there's any miscommunication about what we stood for, we may seek legal options."

When mid-day reached out to Udhwani, he claimed that the show reflects a problem that is rampant across India. "Home is not based on the Campa Cola case. I met a few residents of the buildings, but they were hesitant to share their stories. So I didn't pursue them further. There are many other societies facing similar issues and the show is loosely based on them."

Though director Habib Faisal had previously stated that his venture was inspired by the spirit of the Campa Cola case, Nimisha Pandey, head of content, ALTBalaji, said, "Though the situation is inspired from true events, it is not based on any real life story." The Campa Cola compound found itself mired in controversy after the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of 35 illegal floors housing around 100 flats.