Even as she earns immense praise for Four More Shots Please 2, director Nupur Asthana is happy to pass the baton to Tannishtha Chatterjee for next season
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; May 19, 2020)

When she had joined the team of Four More Shots Please for its sophomore season, she had barely imagined that the edition — developed under her watchful eyes — would go on to become the most watched Indian show on Amazon Prime of the year so far. As she took on the directorial duties from Anu Menon, Nupur Asthana says her objective was to make the protagonists relatable even as they downed tequila in Istanbul and flaunted Balenciaga bags.

"Since I was directing all 10 episodes, I could approach the season with a blank slate. I didn't have to follow any blueprint in terms of the storytelling. It is a fashion-forward show, so, the girls will be well-dressed, but my aim was to make them more real," explains Asthana.

From body shaming to workplace gender inequality, the instalment has been applauded for touching on various women's issues through its protagonists — essayed by Kirti Kulhari, Sayani Gupta, Maanvi Gagroo and Bani J. Asthana credits the win to the all-women force at work, from the writers to the cast. "I went with my instinct. My crew and cast did extensive workshops, we had free-flowing chats then and bared our hearts. That made things easier. They understood what I was trying to do and how I wanted their characters to grow on screen. I have worked with the writers [Ishita Moitra and Devika Bhagat] before. It was an exhilarating ride for me."

With praise coming in for the second season, one would expect her to helm the next instalment. However, Asthana is only too happy to pass the baton to actor-director Tannishtha Chatterjee. "They [Amazon Prime and creator Rangita Nandy] were keen on having me on board for season three too, but I was exhausted. I had finished working on the show on January 15; to go back to it in a few months [would have been too much]. I need time to recharge my batteries. Also, in order to create a fresh look with the same material, roping in a new director is the right way forward."

As fans await Four More Shots Please 2, Sayani Gupta shares how the filming of next instalment was called off due to the industry shutdown
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; April 14, 2020)

Fans of Four More Shots Please will tell you how they are eagerly awaiting its sophomore season, which drops online later this week. Much like viewers, Sayani Gupta — who plays the no-nonsense journalist, Damini Rizvi Roy, in the Amazon Prime series — too was counting the days, but to the third season. Turns out, the creative team, including actors Kirti Kulhari, Maanvi Gagroo, Bani J and Gupta were scheduled to kick off the shoot of the third instalment in Mumbai this month.

"We were supposed to start shooting in the first week of April with schedules planned across India and abroad, but the shoot is on hold for now," informs Gupta. While she agrees that the unit has the luxury of time since the next edition is slated for 2021, the actor admits that the schedule, for now, is in limbo. "I don't know when we will begin shooting for the show."

On the bright side, the actor acknowledges that there has been tremendous curiosity around the upcoming season of the women-led offering. "A lot of people are texting me every day, asking why we haven't released the show yet. People are bored sitting at home, so they want to watch the series as soon as they can. In that sense, it is releasing at the right time. The only [companies] who are making a profit in these times are Netflix and Amazon Prime."

She promises that the Nupur Asthana-directed instalment will be "grander and bigger". "There were certain things that did not work in the first season, so we have made sure not to repeat our mistakes."

First meeting of Mansi Jain’s all-women group on the lines of Hollywood’s Film Fatales saw 40 talented artistes and technicians in attendance
Ekta Mohita (MID-DAY; February 20, 2019)

A collective launched by short filmmaker Mansi Jain (below) is bringing together a group of women artistes and technicians from the industry to source untapped talent, and to ‘give access to each other’s connections, help and experience’. The inspiration for the collective, says Jain, is the all-women group Film Fatales in Hollywood that includes film technicians who ‘meet regularly to mentor each other, share resources, collaborate on projects and build a supportive community in which to make their films’.

“Film Fatales has indie filmmakers to big filmmakers [as members],” says Mansi, who has a masters in screenwriting and directing from Columbia School of the Arts in New York. “They help each other. That’s what I wanted here. I started at an intimate level by sending a voice note to 15 people in my phone book [on February 7]: Women I respect as filmmakers and technicians. I asked them if they would like to be a part of it. All of them were like, ‘let’s do it’. I formed the group, and Jyoti [Kapur Das, creative head, Gangs of Wasseypur and Queen], who is a powerhouse, added a lot more people. Within the first four hours, we had 92 members.”

Being mutual assets
The collective, unnamed so far, includes producers Guneet Monga and Elahe Hiptoola, filmmakers Leena Yadav, Nupur Asthana and Ashima Chibber, cinematographer Neha Parti Matiyani, editors Geeta Singh and Antara Lahiri, singer Jasleen Royal and actors Sandhya Mridul, Divya Dutta, Sayani Gupta, Rasika Dugal and Seema Pahwa. The first meet-up on February 9 was held at Monga’s office, with about 40 women in attendance.

Jain says, “Why were we able to have a huge first meet within the first three days? There’s a hunger in women. There’s so much untapped talent when it comes to female filmmakers and technicians. Bringing them all under one roof and giving them access to each other’s connections, help and experience is the purpose of it. We spoke to each other about the projects we were working on, and saw how we could be an asset to each other.”

Pahwa, who’s been an actor in the industry for 35 years and is making her directorial debut with Pind Daan, says, “I have not seen that much of a distinction [between male technicians and female technicians], but definitely, women have had to struggle more to establish themselves: in all the fields and not just ours. We have not made this group to stage a revolution. A lot of our members are already established and have a body of work behind them. The collective is to create awareness that there are so many [women technicians]. On my next project, I definitely know that there are many names I could approach directly.”

Taking it forward
The collective will meet once a month, at somebody’s house or a cafe. At Monga’s office, while there was an “amazing spread,” there was also a potluck. “Everybody was requested to bring something so that the host didn’t get overwhelmed with the responsibility,” says Jain.

“But, we don’t want it to become like a kitty party. That’s not the point of this. This is a very professional group. We work together and are interested in each other’s careers and talents. The idea is to take each other by the hand and go a little forward.”

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; December 12, 2018)

Akshay Kumar may have begun shooting for Mission Mangal, but he isn't the only one to be fascinated by the Mars Orbiter Mission. Ekta Kapoor had announced the digital offering, Mangalyaan - based on the same subject - last year, but the show was put on the backburner after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) expressed its reservation. Now, encouraged by the announcement of Mission Mangal, we hear Kapoor has revived the series.

A unit hand recounts how the show - which was to be helmed by Nupur Asthana then - had hit a roadblock soon after Kapoor had visited ISRO in Bengaluru last year as part of the research.

"Two months after Ekta announced Mangalyaan, ISRO appointed its new chairman [K Sivan]. He raised multiple objections against the series, including its name - ISRO wasn't comfortable with a series bearing the name of their mission. Moreover, they wanted greater autonomy on the material than the production house was comfortable with."

However, she picked up the discussion with the organisation's officials last month. "Ekta has decided to fictionalise the story with the mission serving as the backdrop. She also informed them that she will rechristen the show. Following this, ISRO has given her a go-ahead. But, the delay has resulted in Nupur moving on from the project."

The show is likely to roll by March. Kapoor remained unavailable for comment.

Nupur Asthana is putting a modern twist on the classic love story for a digital series for Ekta Kapoor’s soon-to-be-launched app
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 29, 2016)

After directing hit TV shows, Hip Hip Hurray and Mahi Way, and the Hindi film Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, Nupur Asthana is now working on a contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet which will have two men in the lead. Titled Romil And Jugal, the 10-episode series will air on Ekta Kapoor’s soon-to-be-launched app, ALT Balaji.

“Romil comes from a loud Punjabi family and Jugal is from an intellectual South Indian family. There is an instant clash of cultures that the families have to get over besides accepting the fact that their sons love each other. We auditioned many actors for the lead roles and zeroed in on Manraj Singh for Jugal and theatre actor Rajeev Siddhartha who featured as the main antagonist in 24 as Romil. Finding an actor who is open to romancing another guy on screen is not easy,” Nupur told Mirror.

Ask her how she prepared her actors for the bold scenes and she says, “I told them about the story at the audition and asked if they would be comfortable. I told them to trust me and they did. We also had a workshop for the entire cast which really helped.”

While the series has a gay love story at its centre, Asthana is hoping that the mainstream audience will accept it too. “It’s a progressive show and I want my mother to enjoy it even if she’s squeamish about watching two boys in love. I want the mainstream audience to be less judgemental when they watch it and realise it’s just another kind of love. The essence is the same as Romeo-Juliet, with two people in love and feuding families and how love conquers all,” she asserts. The show is set in a fictional town in Uttarakhand so there was an outdoor schedule while some parts were shot in Mumbai.

The filmmaker is particularly kicked about working for the digital platform. “There were so many censor issues while I was working on Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge even though it was a college film. Here, I’m happy my actors can say fourletter words without anyone creating an issue. I don’t have to worry about stuff like, ‘Should I keep a kiss 10-second long instead of 20?’ You don’t have to censor yourself at the writing stage itself,” Nupur says, further revealing that Romil and Jugal was initially meant to be a film. “When I read the script I felt we could explore the idea better if it was a series spread over 10 episodes. It’s Romeo and Juliet with a twist. Romeo and Juliet is timeless and to do it with two boys was a challenge,” she concludes.