Can your excellence in a profession work against you? Apparently, it can. Sumeet Vyas is learning this, thanks to an amusing turn of events. The actor, who made his directorial debut with Raat Jawaan Hai (2024), says a lot has changed for him in the industry after the series. And not necessarily in a manner he wanted.

“Directing that show was fulfilling. But now, people think I don’t want to act,” he exclaims. “I want to act. Direction is something I got and did, but I am still an actor. Now, I get scripts to direct. I have come across some nice scripts, but unless something is coming from a personal space, I don’t want to direct for the heck of it,” he says.

Naturally, Vyas is more than happy to front Ziddi Ishq, led by Aaditi Pohankar. What added to the lure of the JioHotstar series was that director Raj Chakraborty offered him the part of a manipulative business tycoon, a role far removed from his everyday man image.

“First of all, it’s hard to do something that people like you for. A lot of things need to go right for you to be identified with a certain kind of character. So, I take it positively that [I have an image]. Now, the idea is to introduce the audience to another aspect of my craft.”

‘Raat Jawan Hai’, which revolved around three friends struggling with their identity while navigating parenthood, was praised upon its release last year. Is there a second season coming? “I hope it happens. We have bounced a couple of ideas. We liked what we did. We want to get it right [the second time too],” replies Vyas.

If things had gone as planned, the audience would have seen the yet-untitled Richa Chadha and Sumeet Vyas-starrer by now. But the film, shot in 2023, has been waiting in the wings for almost two years with no release date in sight.

A source shares, “With the shoot and post-production done, the film was ready for a theatrical release. But with each passing month, the possibility of it arriving in cinemas is reducing.”

The movie’s theme is said to be the reason for the limbo. Abhishek Acharya’s directorial venture looks at the COVID-19 pandemic from a health worker’s perspective. The heads at Zee Studios, which has backed the offering, apparently feel the story may have lost its relevance now.

The source adds, “It’s a moving story of the time which wreaked havoc on people, with broken systems pushing everyone to the corner. But the makers feel that the story can feel dated today. Plus, considering the trauma attached to the time, they fear that the audience won’t turn up at theatres. Now, the makers are looking at pursuing an OTT release and will initiate talks with some streamers.”

A gripping crime story demands edge-of-the-seat twists, a solid cast, and an auteur to weave it all together. The upcoming yet-untitled romantic thriller seems to tick all those boxes. Set to stream on JioHotstar, the series marks the Hindi streaming debut of Bengali filmmaker and politician Raj Chakraborty, and stars Parambrata Chatterjee, Sumeet Vyas, Aaditi Pohankar, and Priyanshu Painyuli in key roles.

The series, shot across Kolkata and Darjeeling, has wrapped filming and is now in post-production.

“The series revolves around a relationship tested by betrayal and hidden motives, set against the shifting social and political undercurrents of Kolkata and the hills of Darjeeling. The team has shot several key sequences in Kolkata’s older neighbourhoods and colonial-era buildings,” informed a source associated with the production.

He added, “The post-production is currently underway in Mumbai, and the streamer is expected to announce the title and release date later this year.” After gaining popularity with films, including Proloy (2013), Parineeta (2019), Habji Gabji (2022), and Shontaan (2024), among others, this romantic thriller marks Chakraborty’s foray into the Hindi web space.

The romantic thriller is politician and filmmaker Raj Chakraborty’s third project with Parambrata Chatterjee after ‘Proloy’ (2013) and ‘Habji Gabji’ (2022).

It had been actor-writer Sumeet Vyas’ long-time dream to start directing. The opportunity presented itself when he met writer Khyati Anand Puthran at their kids’ playgroup. Their collaboration, Raat Jawaan Hai, is a story about three best friends who are new to parenthood. To Vyas, the Barun Sobti, Priya Bapat and Anjali Anand-starrer is about the smaller things in life. In conversation with mid-day, the first-time director talks about the Sony LIV show, his own experiences with parenthood, the interesting casting and more.

Edited excerpt from the interview.

The show’s writer is Khyati Anand [Puthran]. It was a coincidence that our kids were friends, and played together at a nearby park. In March 2022, she told me she was writing a script about early parenthood and friendship. She asked me whether I’d like to direct it. I read the script and liked it. She had written two episodes, and we began working together from there. Moreover, we were both going through the phase, so we could bring in our personal experiences. As we developed the story, the plot became more about friendship. We realized that friendship is the first victim of [parenthood] as one is not able to give their friends the same time as they did before.

Of course! If two partners are actively involved in parenting, then it becomes difficult. For example, my wife [Ekta Kaul] has taken a break from work. She is taking care of the child, so how can I go off to party somewhere? I finish my work and go home. I have very little time to spend with Ved, so I’d rather do that. Male or female, whichever parent decides to stay back and take care of the child, it affects them the most. Their social life is as good as non-existent.

The one thing I’ve understood about parenting is that it is very similar yet different. Every person’s right and wrong is different. So when they become parents, their rules differ. You cannot generalize parenting because we’ve all grown up in varied circumstances and economic backgrounds.

Avinash [Sobti’s character] is around friends, so he doesn’t have to filter what he says. He has a child and now, he wants to have a dog. When Suman [Bapat] reprimands him, asking whether it’s the same, Radhika [Anand] says that the animal doesn’t have the responsibility to grow up, take care of his elders. From the time kids are born, they are told they have to come first in class, learn tennis, become a scientist and what not! [laughs].

To each his own. I don’t think any aspect of life completes you. I always wanted to have a child, and I have friends who didn’t; either option is fine. No matter what decision you take, the grass is always greener on the other side. If your kid is crying in the night, while your friends are chilling, you may miss it. On the other hand, they may feel that you are lucky to get to play with a child. In India, we shouldn’t be worried about this. We have an abundant population [laughs].

The first actor we approached was Priya, she is also Khyati’s friend. When Khyati was writing the part, she had Priya in mind. When we approached her, she was more than excited to be a part of it. She is exceptional in the show. Anjali was a complete surprise. I had never seen her previous work. Sony recommended that we meet her. The ease with which she carries herself is quite something. Barun’s casting was out of the blue. We were struggling to find Avinash. I saw Kohrra [2023] around that time, called him and suggested the role. He is a desi guy, and loads of fun. 

Not with this show. From the onset, I always wanted to direct it. There is a certain pace that I wanted for it. Like when we watched Malgudi Days, [even though] the episodes were all 30-minute-long. I wanted to narrate a story with tasalli. If someone cannot watch the show for 30 minutes also, and he has to watch five reels, then he may not watch it. I didn’t want to compromise on the temperament. If people can relate to the story, they will watch it.

 

No, I thought I would. But from the second or third day, I found my groove. We shot for close to 40-45 days at a stretch. I didn’t feel I had to prove a point to anyone. I wanted to tell the story as honestly as I could. The story demands a certain pace because it is about smaller things [in life], there is no melodrama to it. One reference point I had is of a film that I had acted in many years ago, English Vinglish [2012]. There is innocence in this narrative, which is why it connects with a larger audience.

Anand Tiwari admits that in the days leading to a film’s release, he usually becomes a ball of nerves. “I’ve done everything I could, and now it belongs to the audience,” he says of Bad Newz, starring Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk. For his first big-screen offering, the director has created a comedy about heteropaternal superfecundation—it revolves around a woman, who becomes pregnant with twins fathered by two different men.

The story’s novelty drew him, he says. “I loved the draft that Ishita [Moitra, writer] wrote. First, my business partner, Amritpal [Singh Bindra], and Sumeet Vyas tried to [expand on] it, then we got Tarun Dudeja [writer].”

In the past, Tiwari directed OTT offerings, including Love Per Square Foot (2018), Bandish Bandits (2020) and Maja Ma (2022). Bad Newz, with its laugh-out-loud moments, has a different tonality from his past creations.

“I find bhasad very entertaining,” he laughs. “We grew up on David Dhawan films. Messed-up relationships give Bad Newz a tonality that goes beyond the central topic. There are many more layers in it. I come from a big family; I have rejoiced in my family’s bhasad. So, I enjoy the nuances of family dynamics. As a Matunga boy, I grew up on comedies that played at Gaiety-Galaxy. It helps me be the storyteller I am. Somehow, we make fewer comedies now.”

Reuniting with long-time friend Kaushal after Love Per Square Foot must have been reassuring. But where does friendship end and work begin?

“On set, Vicky is my actor, and when we call it a wrap, we are friends. I have worked all my life with close friends. I never take the fact that I am Vicky’s friend for granted. He needs space and time, and as his collaborator, I give him that.”

Before we end the chat, we have to talk about the hit song, Tauba Tauba that has Kaushal displaying some smooth moves. “I’m glad it’s a rage. But everything that’s catchy about the film comes from Karan Johar. He has given me the biggest theatrical debut I could’ve imagined. Getting Karan Aujla [singer] was his call; all the actors came because of him. It’s gracious of Ishita and Karan to let us fly with a script that she wrote. The film should be liked foremost, but I also want it to do well at the box office. When someone trusts you this whole-heartedly, you want to do the best you can.”

Sumeet Vyas has marked his directorial debut and is currently shooting for a new web series, Raat Jawaan Hai. Ask what prompted him to make the switch and he says, “As an actor or writer, you play a very small part in the process. As a director, you can contribute a lot more and that feels nice.”

Having dabbled in films, TV and OTT, it’s with the latter that the actor-writer gained a lot of success. However, he has one grouse with web platforms. “Ninety percent of content on OTT today, in India or internationally, is action, violence, thrill and genres which are serious and hectic to watch. We’ve completely forgotten the Seinfeld, F.R.I.E.N.D.S and How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) kind of shows. In India, we had shows like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Wagle Ki Duniya and Malgudi Days,” the 40-year-old shares, adding, “Those shows were like an escape [from reality] or a relief. They used to be our happy place.”

So, the Permanent Roommates and Tripling actor wants to go back to this era. “The idea with our show is to create something that becomes a happy place for our generation... I hope we have chosen quality over quantity and are not telling another run-of-the-mill story,” he says.

Vyas insists he wouldn’t want to direct himself. “It requires a lot of confidence to tell someone to look into my eyes and think they’re in love with me. I don’t think I would be able to do that,” he ends.

Actor Sumeet Vyas has been part of the OTT world since its inception and has seen its growth as well as the changes over the years. While the actor agrees that makers at times cast popular faces for the shows for various reasons, he feels that there is nothing wrong in doing so.

He explains, “I do not feel there is anything wrong in casting a film actor, if he is right for the part. But, if his acting fees is more than the entire budget of the show, then there is something wrong. There is a certain budget for the salaries of the entire unit, for the shoot to happen and if twice that number is being paid to one actor, then that’s not right. I do not think any actor brings that much value to any project. It’s the balance that we need to learn.”

Emphasising on his point, Vyas gives example of the shows that have done well in the digital sphere, which do not feature well-established film stars.

“Pataal Lok (2020), Mirzapur (2018), Rocket Boys (2022), Pitchers (2015), Permanent Roommates (2014), Panchayat (2020) and many more. These are all those shows that did not have stars and still they were superhit. In fact, shows which had bigger stars in them and ridiculous money spent did not do well.”

He adds, “Sacred Games (2018) would be exception where they had two stars (Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and it performed nicely. My point is, nine out of the ten shows that did well, were the ones with actors you did not think were stars. They were just good actors who suited the part.”

Ask if biases are even more apparent when stars are cast for big projects, Vyas agrees but explains that it happens because of the commerce.

“As producers and networks, what they want to do is try and get a popular face so that they are at least covered on those grounds,” he signs off.

Inarguably, the best place to learn filmmaking is a movie set. For Sumeet Vyas, it has to be a Sudhir Mishra set. The actor-writer, who is gearing up to turn director, says that he silently observed the filmmaker as they shot for their next, Afwah.

“I wanted to see how he [approaches a subject], how he works through the nuances. [Collaborating with Mishra] was like a film school. I was like a Go Pro, always observing him as he went about creating a moment,” says Vyas, who plays a pivotal part in the Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bhumi Pednekar-starrer.

Afwaah, he says, is what one has come to expect from Mishra — an original story viewed from his keen lens. “I have always enjoyed Sudhir sir’s films because he has a unique voice. It was refreshing to be on a set with people who are passionate [about the project].” 

Vyas intends to apply the learnings from this experience in his directorial debut. The actor reveals that the project is currently in the writing stage. “It’s a high-concept film. I am writing it, and there should be an announcement in some time.” 

For now though, Aar Ya Paar has his attention. The actor plays a cop in the Disney+ Hotstar series. “With Afwah and Aar Ya Paar, the attempt is to break the clutter that has set in. It’s a problem when you make a show only because something is the flavour of the season, and not because you want to tell a new story. If corporate [heads] tell you what content to make, it will always be a problem. You need people with an understanding about stories [to take such calls],” says the actor-writer of Tripling fame.

How does it feel to have two shows dropping on the same day? “It gets hectic with the promotions,” warns Maanvi Gagroo, before stating that she wouldn’t trade “the fantastic feeling” for anything else. The universes of Tripling 3 and Four More Shots Please 3 are far divorced from one another, so are her characters. While she had to portray the confused Chanchal in Tripling, she had to also be convincing as the irrational and impulsive Siddhi in the Amazon Prime Video series. Over to the actor as she talks about the juggling act.  

Edited excerpts from the interview.

In Four More Shots Please [FMSP], each character has a definite arc. So as Siddhi [her character], I had more to do in terms of performance. Tripling also [let me perform], but the show is about the fun element. Chanchal [her character] is not someone who cracks jokes or delivers punchlines. She doesn’t have that impact, but Siddhi does.

Yes, Sumeet [Vyas] and I had discussed that we had already explored road trips in the first two seasons. We knew the audience loved the three characters, their parents and the familial dynamics. We wanted to stick to these pointers. Sumeet and I [felt] that season two was scattered, where we were going from one place to another. We lost the crux — the siblings and the family. By constraining the story to the family and their dynamics, we got the essence of season one back in the new edition.

I told the director [Neeraj Udhwani] that I wished we had delved deeper into this. Chanchal is comparing her parents’ marriage to her relationship with Pranav [Kunaal Roy Kapur]. If they broke up, she would lose hope in her own marriage. But I wish we had gone deeper [to figure out] how it is wreaking havoc on her marriage. Here, the problem gets solved simplistically. But relationship issues are not solved overnight. It may be [explored] in the next season.

During the pandemic, I was sh*t scared for my parents and the elders in my family. Right after the first wave, we shot FMSP. While performing [the track after Siddhi’s father’s death], I insisted on calling him dad, because I address my father as Papa. I had to avoid going in that direction. I was confused about what Siddhi goes through after [his demise]. I didn’t agree with Siddhi being so annoying and erratic. In season two, she was the most loved character, and I feared that now, she would be hated. While shooting, I hated her, but the makers made me believe that it will all come together in the end. Finally, when I saw the season, I understood that she didn’t know how to process her emotions.

My relationship with the actors is similar to that depicted on screen. With Sumeet and Amol [Parashar], it is like a brotherly relationship. I call up Sumeet whenever anything happens in my life. I am always bullying Amol and getting away with it. I have a different equation with each of the girls of FMSP. If I need to hang, I call Sayani [Gupta]. For gossip, I call Bani J, and when I want to discuss career choices, I call Kirti [Kulhari].

Sumeet Vyas played the role of Sridevi’s classmate in the English speaking course and says he holds English Vinglish close to his heart for a variety of reasons. “Some projects come to you at a certain stage in life, and they make you change yourself. This was that for me, I have only fond memories, no bad ones,” he shares.

It was the 39-year-old’s first big project at that point in his career. “It was the first time I worked in a fully commercial film setup. Thankfully for me, I was working with Gauri Shinde, R Balki was the producer. They were such grounded people, and Sridevi too. My impression of the film industry hence was that, ki sab log iss industry mein aise hi hote hain. But of course, later I met a bunch of a***oles (laughs). Since then, I have been seeking that kind of set-up,” adds Vyas.

Majority of the film was shot in New York, and for the actor, it was his first trip to United States. “It was also my first time shooting abroad. I had so much down time during the shoot, we would only shoot on weekends. So Monday to Thursday we were free, Friday to Sunday we would shoot. It was sort of like a paid vacation,” he says.

Any Tripling fan will tell you that road trips with siblings became an instant addition to their bucket list after the series. Such is the charm of the Sumeet Vyas, Maanvi Gagroo and Amol Parashar-starrer. After the success of the first two seasons, the team has now announced the much-awaited third edition of the TVF offering. For a series that has been shot extensively across India, going from Sikkim to Gujarat, from Jaipur to Kolkata, we wonder where the upcoming instalment is shot. Parashar is in no mood to divulge details, as he teasingly says, “This time, we will be in the hills.”  

In the past two outings, we have seen the three siblings – Vyas’s Chandan, Gagroo’s Chanchal and Parashar’s Chitvan – go from squabbling to cheering each other on and helping one another grow. Parashar promises that the characters have matured in the upcoming edition, while retaining their eccentricities that make them lovable. “People have a lot of expectations from Tripling. The idea is to meet some of those expectations, while giving them something new,” he says.

The actor, who was seen in Sardar Udham (2021), adds that his character has undergone a distinct shift in the three years since the last instalment streamed. “With Chitvan, people have come to expect madness. He was different in season two compared to the first instalment. [Here], he is maturing, but in his own weird way. I have grown physically, mentally and emotionally as an actor. Similarly, Chitvan, while still exhibiting his usual traits, has evolved in his relationships.”

While a successful series comes with a lot of pressure, the actor believes the biggest responsibility lies with writers Sumeet Vyas, Abbas Dalal, Gopal Tiwari, Chris George. “I didn’t get involved in the writing process. Sumeet and Arunabh took care of it. Often, they asked me to join their jamming sessions during the scripting stage, but I didn’t want to get into it.”

That said, Parashar offered suggestions about his character while shooting. “Whenever I had a suggestion, I voiced my opinions.”

The 25-day shoot, conducted in early 2022, felt less like work, more like a happy reunion for the cast and crew. Hitting the road after the Coronavirus pandemic was blissful for Parashar, who says, “We were shooting together after three years. Life no longer gives you the luxury to chill and hang out too often [due to the pandemic]. But season three was our excuse to get everyone together and go on a road trip.”

Pop culture may have us believe that college life is about young love, designer brands and all things hunky-dory. But director Akarsh Khurana is exploring its gritty side with Jugaadistan. The Lionsgate Play series, starring Sumeet Vyas, Parambrata Chatterjee, Arjun Mathur and Rukshar Dhillon, does away with the rose-tinted glasses through which campus capers are often seen, and instead depicts how college politics and jugaad dominate these years.

The show is a change of pace for Khurana, who earlier helmed the feel-good Mismatched. “While I have done youth-centric offerings before, this was a different take on it. [It shows] the darker side of our college years, and Delhi like we don’t see it often [on screen]. We delve into an array of issues — college politics, student dynamics, side-incomes — all of which are significant in how people’s lives are shaped in their formative years. I enjoyed the track of investigative journalism that runs parallel to the student shenanigans,” he says.

Jugaadistan is the OTT platform’s second Indian original after Hiccups and Hookups (2021). Rohit Jain, MD, south Asia and networks, Lionsgate, says, “With Hiccups and Hookups, we explored modern family dynamics; this time, we take a real tour of campus life.”

Mrinalini Khanna, VP, originals, adds, “The team has [depicted] the innocence of growing up and the seriousness of making life-changing decisions.”

'Feels Like Ishq', Netflix’s upcoming anthology of love stories, has an emotional connect with its actors. The project is Seher Aly Latif’s final production before her untimely demise in June. When we get on a call with Amol Parashar, we start our chat remembering Latif. “I had known her as a casting director, having auditioned with her for years. Seher and I hadn’t worked together till this project came along. After she passed away, I was going through our texts; she had sent a text, saying, ‘We are finally working together.’ It makes me sad that she isn’t here to see what we have done together.”

In the anthology, Parashar stars alongside Radhika Madan in Save The Da(y)te, which is directed by Ruchir Arun. It’s safe to say that 'Feels Like Ishq', with its breezy treatment, is home turf for the actor. “When OTT started off in India, such light-hearted shows [were churned out] to captivate young audiences. Thereafter, [content creators switched gears] to full-blown crime and heartland stories. I want to dabble in crime dramas in the near future, but these tender stories have a way of warming your heart. For me, this project was also a way of moving out of my own circuit. On every project, I bump into people I know. But with 'Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare' and 'Feels Like Ishq', it was a new world waiting to offer fresh experiences and a fresh perspective.”

Parashar is also hoping to slip back into the role of Chitvan for the third season of 'Tripling', a show that made him an overnight sensation. It can’t possibly be easy for writers Sumeet Vyas and Akarsh Khurana to pull off a road trip series in post-pandemic times. Quiz him on the show’s progress, and Parashar says that he stays out of the writing stage. “I don’t let Sumeet tell me about the discussions that happen at the writing stage. The character of Chitvan is such that I need a full narration to be surprised by him. Considering the [third season’s] announcement has been made, it’s certainly in the vicinity.”

Sumeet Vyas, who was already known for his work in the digital space, featured in Veere Di Wedding, where he played Kareena Kapoor Khan’s beau. Though the buddy film focussed on the life of four buddies — played by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam K Ahuja, Swara Bhasker and Shikha Talsania, Sumeet got his share of appreciation too.

Recently, on the film’s third anniversary, Rhea Kapoor, producer of the film, had shared a post to celebrate the occasion, to which Kareena responded, saying, “The best decision I took… such a cool film.”

Looking back at the experience of working on the project closely with Kareena, Sumeet says, “She was extremely sweet and very professional. She was so prepared every time she came on set… she knew her lines, her moves. It is refreshing to see that she has done so much, achieved so much in her career, and yet, she is so sincere about her work. That explains why she has reached where she has.”

Ask Sumeet if he is still in touch with her, and he answers, “I am not in touch with her. We were not pals when we were shooting. She is a massive star, and when we worked together, I was an actor who was getting a lot of attention (because of the casting). But yes, I did find great friends in Swara and Shikha.”

Talking about the changes in his professional life after the release of the film, Sumeet says, “A lot changed for me after the movie released, because suddenly you are a part of such a big mainstream film and working with mainstream actors. It results in people taking you a lot more seriously. You are able to attract a larger audience, and that changes it all.” Post the film, Sumeet was seen in Made In China starring Rajkummar Rao and Mouni Roy and a number of web shows.

There has been buzz about the film’s sequel, and on the film’s third anniversary, fans asked the makers and the actors about its possibility. “I haven’t received any communication from the team about the sequel,” he says, adding, “I have read it in the news, and it has got me excited too. Veere Di Wedding film was special, and I never felt that the film was just based on the heroines. It was a great set to be on, where people came in with a lot of good energy.”

In March, Lionsgate Play announced its second Indian original, U Special, featuring Arjun Mathur, Sumeet Vyas and Parambrata Chatterjee in the lead. Since then, Vyas is itching to face the camera for the campus drama that is set in Delhi. “Even before I heard the script, I agreed to this project. It captures college politics, and has a scam at its heart,” he says. 

That the series reunites him with showrunner-director Akarsh Khurana is another incentive. The two worked closely in theatre together for 15 years before finding their feet in showbiz. “We co-wrote Tripling together. When you are with someone for so long, they know your strengths and weaknesses. Akarsh allows his actors to fly with the characters. That’s the kind of liberty every artiste yearns for. This project will be a party, and I know I will enjoy myself.”

But this party won’t be without prep. “I need to perfect the [North Indian] dialect. People in the team are helping me learn it,” adds Vyas.

A road trip story when you are not allowed to travel is a hurdle Sumeet Vyas never thought he would have to jump through. While year 2020 has been a brain freeze for the writer-actor, he has been trying to weave a script for the third season of Tripling. “Would a story about a time when there were no masks on people’s faces make sense? I wasn’t sure how our storyline would be affected by the Coronavirus pandemic,” says Vyas.

Learning from the feedback of season two, the actor is hoping to pen down a story for Tripling in 2021 and kick it off by 2022. “We bounced several ideas between the team at TVF, Akarsh [Khurana] and me. We are also accounting for the fact that the second season of Tripling didn’t get as much love as the first one,” explains Vyas, adding that the second instalment was a travel journal through multiple cities, hence the “focus was on the city’s culture and flavour”. “Stitching that in the narrative ended up widening the story. Learnings from the previous season will be channelised in the writing this time.”

The series was developed by Sameer Saxena, who also served as a director on the show. Asked how he and Khurana planned to fill the void of their key collaborator and he said, “He was the showrunner for both seasons and my fallback guy. We don’t always have to work together, but he will be missed.”

Sumeet Vyas had four digital releases — Official Bhootiyagiri, Wakaalat From Home, Dark 7 White and Unpaused — last year, but not many know that the actor is also a writer. He has written scripts for Love Per Square Foot (LPSF; 2018) and web shows Tripling and Bang Baaja Baaraat. With no shoots this month, he has taken up more writing projects, including a romantic comedy and some films.

“We were supposed to shoot abroad in January but due to the new wave of corona, it got pushed to next month. As for writing, I am at a nascent stage and I don’t write full-time. I prefer to write a story and then pitch it. Thankfully, all my scripts have been made into shows or films,” he divulges.

Vyas prefers to write without a deadline as that’s when he works best. He shares, “In LPSF’s case, my friend (actor) Anand Tiwari had a story and we wrote the script in 2012, which got made in 2018.”

Despite having found a creative outlet as a writer, Vyas admits he is “essentially an actor”. “Once an actor, always an actor! Writing keeps me away from feeling insecure as an actor. Actors feel left out when not working, and in order to not feel dissatisfied or think about what I don’t have, writing is a good outlet for me. I enjoy it and use my downtime to write scripts,” he says.

Glad the vaccine is out, he says he wants everyone to get it soon. “We took the fact that we could breathe freely for granted and the universe taught us a hard lesson. I want to see people without masks on the road and I hope the vaccine works,” says the actor.

A director like Hansal Mehta knows how to deal with, and digest censorship. His 2017 film Omerta told the story of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British terrorist of Pakistani origin, who was behind the 1994 kidnapping of tourists in India. In 1999, he was released and found himself safely in Afghanistan backed by the Taliban in exchange for the release of Indian passengers aboard an Indian Airlines hijacked flight. When the film went to the Censor Board, two scenes proved contentious: Omar relieving himself as the national anthem played, and the protagonist having violent sex preceding a terror operation. “I had expected that it would be problematic, but you [the filmmaker] can try. My argument was that it’s the character who is disregarding the national anthem, not me!” Mehta argues. 

His argument would certainly not hold true today.

The last few weeks have been defining for freedom of expression for the entertainment industry in India. After Saif Ali Khan-headlined political drama Tandav, directed by top Bollywood maker Ali Abbas Zafar, premiered on Amazon Prime Video, dissenting voices said Hindu religion had been disrespected through scenes in the first episode. The first was a stage play where college students playing Shiva and Narada wonder how they can improve the former’s social media popularity, while another was seen as a casteist slur where Tigmanshu Dhulia, who plays Prime Minister Devki Nandan Singh mocks a Dalit politician. After the trolling, BJP MLA Ram Kadam filed a complaint at Ghatkopar police station on January 20, and an FIR was registered in Mumbai. On January 18, a FIR was filed against the director, producer and the writer of the web series, along with Amazon Prime Video’s India head of original content at the Hazratganj police station of Lucknow. Another one at Greater Noida, then Jabalpur, followed by a complaint in Patiala House, New Delhi. Even the Confederation of All India Traders wrote a letter to Prakash Javadekar, Union Information Broadcasting Minister, on January 19, asking to stop the streaming. Zafar apologised unconditionally, and the makers responded by deleting the scenes. Last week, the Supreme Court declined to grant interim protection to Zafar, actor Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub and others facing multiple FIRs, and remarked that an actor “cannot take up a role without reading the script”. 

For Mehta, the brouhaha is unreasonable, because “Tandav is just a pot boiler”. But he suggests we don’t let despair take over.

“I get that people are depressed with what’s unfolding, but I also believe that this government is business conscious. The OTT ecosystem rakes in a lot of business. Perhaps we should keep away from religious and political content for a while.”

Mehta’s suggestion may be prudent but this means the end, or at least partial suspension, of freedom of expression that defined web shows in India. Last November, the government brought video streaming over-the-top (OTT) platforms under the I&B Ministry’s ambit instead of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. While the government has demanded a list of what constitutes prohibited content and more muscle to the complaints mechanism, the industry had responded with what’s called an Implementation Toolkit. Following the scale of this recent protest, it could very well mean that makers and writers self-regulate, choosing to stay away from politically and religiously sensitive references.

It’s then the first officers of creation—the writers—who have the most rewiring to do, whether it’s with their beliefs or process. Mayank Tewari, writer of the critically acclaimed political satire Newton, and behind the dialogues for Ragini MMS, is currently working for a Netflix show. “Let’s see how things pan out. It’s curtailment for sure. Can we now show a policeman or judge as corrupt? I don’t know. The good part is that once the content is made, you can have a problem with it, but it will find its audience anyway, even if through WhatsApp. That’s the beauty of living in these times.”

But he also admits that because making a show or film takes a whole lot of money, energy and time, the investment is huge. “No one wants their time and money to go down the drain. So we will be told, ‘you are an entertainer, not an activist’. And when writers start second guessing, it’s not good. The trouble is that today anything can cause a problem — if you look at Kalidas’s poetry, it’s erotica about Shiva and Parvati. If we reference that, even that will cause a problem. We are a nation addicted to outrage, and anything can offend,” he says, adding that platforms and creators are now looking for legal backing, with lawyers likely to vet the script. 

For Atika Chohan, who wrote Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak, which got into trouble as lead actress Deepika Padukone, visited JNU in her personal capacity to show solidarity with the anti-CAA protesters, auto editing creative thoughts is a reality. The idea of having legal vet a series is making writers doubt their ability and scope. “I read somewhere this crazy word called ‘cinema jihad’. Didn’t writers have enough of a struggle to put up while pitching their stories, that we now have to make sure no one gets offended. India is not an exciting place to be, the creative possibilities are shrinking,” says Chohan.

So, what’s the solution? Resourceful thinking. “History has taught us that in times like these, creatives find ways to say what they want—tiered narratives, metaphors, layers. In Iran, when creators were censored, they still told stories of social divide, but by using children as protagonists. Maybe, we need to do that, but right now I am angst ridden and worried.”

Sidharth Jain is the founder of the Story Ink, a platform that seeks film or dramatisation rights to books written by Indian authors. He says he isn’t surprised b the developments because in India, some things we don’t talk about. He is currently working on a book deal that concerns a fiction title. “And yet [after the Tandav episode], I told the writer, let’s go over it all over again. Fighting legal battles is expensive. Writers and creators can’t be expected to seek legal help in early stages [of creation]. For now, it’s best to stick to finding family comedies, where everyone is happy.”

Some argue that even in the absence of a censor body, the freedom to approach a court of law exists and can be used to stifle expression. Mihir Desai, senior advocate, Bombay High Court, explains that anyone can set criminal law in motion, and it’s harsh. Multiple complaints can be made against a single party across locations, complicating the matter. The police, of course, has the power to review the complaint and judge if an FIR should be registered. “Usually, complaints seem to get converted into FIRs in states where a particular ideology has political backing, and so the consequences are harsh.”

The irony lies in the fact, says a writer who didn’t wish to be identified for the story because he is pursuing a legal suit, that OTT platforms want cutting edge stories. But when the environment isn’t conducive, they have no choice but to take note. For an international player like Netflix, this means having to ascribe to multiple rulebooks, a different one for every market. An article published in The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 said: Until very recently, Netflix has always taken a “move fast and break things” approach typical of Silicon Valley startups, with most criticism of its shows either ignored or dismissed.”

After having a presence in over 190 countries, not anymore. In the past, the platform has got into trouble for smoking scenes in Stranger Things, for depiction of Palestinian terrorists in Fauda, and for kissing scenes in their Arabic original Jinn. Amazon Prime Video, which had admitted to self- censorship as early as in 2016, had said: “Amazon is a responsible company and we are here to entertain the Indian customer with award-winning content from the US along with blockbusters from Indian and regional makers. We will keep Indian cultural sensitivities in mind while offering this content to customers.”

Rangita Pritish Nandy, who created the racy Four More Shots Please!, for Amazon Prime, says nobody really starts out with the idea of offending. “The arts are a reflection of the times we live in, always have been. What we, as creators and producers, bring to cinema and streaming, finds its seeds in the world around us. I don’t really see that changing. What may change is the way we choose to say it. Blatant calling out will stop and intelligent profiling and writing will be celebrated. Streaming has shrunk the world. When the world is your audience, it makes you brave.”

Vishal Watwani, writer and producer for Helllo Jee, a show about phone conversations between call centre employees and men who need to be “entertained”, for ALT Balaji, says while we cannot expect to be free to say anything we like, censorship in India seems more about appeasing the powerful than reviewing content in the interest of  audience good. He echoes the words of the senior counsel representing Amazon Video Prime in the Tandav case. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, authorised counsel for Amazon India, had told mid-day last week, “People are entitled to make a political satire. If you don’t need to watch it, don’t; no one is forcing individuals to watch the collection. According to me, these circumstances are not about hurting individuals’s non-secular sentiments, however of individuals looking for publicity.” 

Sumeet Vyas, who played dodgy politician Yudi in last year’s show Dark 7 White on ALT Balaji, says he is reminded of George Orwell’s 1984. “Whatever you say, think, write, or perform will be monitored. It’s not just harmful for actors, but for society. My argument is simple—if you think what actors perform has a negative impact on society, then what about all the stories [we perform] where good wins over evil? Then credit us and us alone also for all the good that has happened in this country.”