Nearly two decades after Taare Zameen Par made him one of the most memorable child actors in Indian cinema, Darsheel Safary is still closely associated with the film that touched millions. But the actor says he is not trying to run away from that image — he is simply waiting for the next role that can leave a similar impact.

Speaking about growing up in the shadow of an iconic debut, the 29-year-old says the audience’s perception will only change with the kind of work he chooses.

“I don’t know what people think. It’s about the work that I bring to the table — that is what the reaction depends on, frankly,” he says. “Taare Zameen Par is that kind of film from which it will be difficult to break away naturally. Even today, people talk about it and there are discussions around it.”

Rather than distancing himself from the film, Darsheel says he sees it as the foundation of his journey. “Now that I’ve grown up, I’m looking at another such project for myself — something that makes me memorable for the next 20 years. It’s not about people not being able to break out of that image, it’s about what you are giving and what you’re getting back in return.”

The actor, who has been busy with theatre, says every former child artiste eventually waits for that one defining role that changes how audiences see them.

Referring to actors like Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sara Arjun, he says, “They gave their Dangals, they gave their Dhurandhars afterwards. Back then, they were familiar faces — you knew they existed. But when they came out with that one project, everything changed.”

Darsheel, who will soon be seen in an international project with Priya Mani Raj, also reveals that the past few years have been transformative. “It’s been an introspective journey. I’ve tried to understand why I want to be an actor. There was a phase where I did some really questionable work. But then I started working with filmmakers like Suparn Varma, Anand Mahadevan, Abhinay Deo and Subhash Kapoor. I was also busy with theatre. The closer I got to myself, the closer I got to acting.”

There’s a lot an actor has to train in before appearing on the screen. For Karanvir Sharma, besides learning how to write stories and assist directors, the bigger challenge was to overcome his speech impediment. He had a lisp. After working with speech therapists and dialogue coaches, today, he is often told to lend his voice as a voiceover artiste. It was the first thing that hooked us to this conversation with the actor. In a chat with mid-day, Sharma talks about The Trial season two, why adaptations have become an easy fix, and why he feels he is yet to get his due. Excerpts from the interview.

I had seen The Good Wife when it was released earlier. It had been quite a gap. My directors [Umesh Bist and Suparn Varma] specifically told me not to watch it; it was the first brief he gave me. He said he didn’t want me to get limited with what the character was doing there. However, I still caught a few glimpses of it.

Absolutely, because of the memory I had of the character. It is very similar. Whoever has seen The Good Wife will see the exact arc, but it is more consolidated. The international show had about 23 episodes, but in the Indian version, we have only taken the highlights and made six episodes from it.

I may lose out [on fleshing out the] character, but crisp storytelling is the trend. People have started exploring content vertically because maybe the attention span is less these days. I think six episodes of 45 minutes each is good enough to tell a story. However, I also felt some more of my scenes could be added.

It could be both. Some time back, I did a show called 24 — one of the initial shows to be adapted from an international series. I feel nakal ke liye akal lagti hai. Somewhere they hit the right chord for the first season, so the second season of it would be highly anticipated, because when the season two of The Good Wife came out, it was the highlight of the series too. I feel Umesh Bist will fill up the gap. His last series Gyaarah Gyaarah [2024] was a Korean adaptation, and he did a good job with it. The rest is up to the audience.

Adaptations have been going on for ages, it’s just that we are noticing it now because it’s at the forefront. Even Hindi TV shows are adapting from regional shows. I was part of Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahaani, which was the adaptation of the Bengali show, Mohor. It doesn’t mean every adaptation is going to be successful. I loved Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, but that is also an adaptation of the Korean movie, [A Moment to Remember]. It’s in the hands of the director to make it connect with the Indian audience. It’s not that we are running out of ideas. It’s so difficult for original scripts to get a pass these days. You have to be a salesman more than a creative in this industry now. I wish we had more originals because we have a rich culture. 

I always criticize myself. I feel if you get too comfortable with yourself, it will be your downfall. I feel that sentiment is unanimous among actors. I had done a scene which was mediocre in The Trial. It is a regret. I broke down and cried in front of the director. My mother was hospitalized and my uncle had undergone a surgery. [I had] too many things going on. As an actor you have to keep your personal emotions on the side, but it is not always possible. The next day, it was the climax scene of my character with the whole cast. It had a lot of give and take, and you cannot miss the beat, expressions, and movements. So, I had to switch off, I couldn’t repeat the mistake. I was nervous about it, but it happened, and my director loved it.

Not at all. This was one of the reasons why I picked up The Trial. It was to show people that I can be part of all the mediums and I am a good actor. I will be very disappointed if people don’t appreciate what I have done. This is like a big comeback for me. For so many years, despite getting critical acclaim, I am not able to get out of the struggle. It’s been a decade or so since I have been acting, but I’ve never got a bad review. It has to account for something.

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One practical approach to reducing costs is to adjust actors’ remuneration based on the average earnings of their last three box-office films. This method could address the financial imbalance that big-budget films underperforming causes.

Producers bechare dabb jaate hain actors ke costs ke chakkar mein. Filmmakers happily give what’s necessary but unjustified demands, jaise multiple vanity vans, nahin hone chahiye. For instance, one hair and makeup artist instead of a team of five or six, could cut costs significantly. If they still need all of these extra people, then they should cover the costs themselves.

The cost of securing and maintaining permissions for shooting a Hindi film or series in India is exorbitant. Governments in Hindi-speaking states should consider reducing these costs, similar to how subsidies are provided for Telugu and Tamil films.

Pre-production is crucial for managing budgets effectively. Spending more time planning with actors before shooting can streamline the process, This, in turn, will allow for efficient execution of complex scenes, reducing shooting days, particularly beneficial in expensive locations such as, say London (where he shot Ulajh). Additionally, being decisive during pre-production — such as finalising clothing choices and other details — can prevent budget wastage.

A clear script and directorial vision can help control costs. Jab ek script well-defined hoti hai and it is locked before shooting begins, it reduces the need for last-minute changes and rewrites. This can help reduce production expenses.

Often, the best stories come from real-life events. Suparn S Varma firmly believes it. After Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023) that was based on the case that led to the conviction of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, the filmmaker is set to make a courtroom drama on the Shah Bano case, which is considered an important case in India’s constitutional history. 

The case remains relevant even today as it examined women’s rights, religious principles and their place in a democracy. Sources reveal that Varma has finalised the script after extensive research. “He is locking the principal cast. Suparn has already zeroed in on the director—a National Award-winning filmmaker who, he believes, will lend the intellectual acuity and sensitivity that the subject deserves. They are confident that Shah Bano’s case is important for this generation as it also showcases women empowerment,” says a source. 

For the uninitiated, in 1978, Shah Bano Begum, then 62, filed a criminal suit against former husband Mohammed Ahmad Khan when he stopped paying her Rs. 200 a month as promised. With no means to support herself and their five children, she demanded a maintenance amount of Rs. 500. While in 1979, the local court directed Khan to pay a measly sum of Rs. 25 per month to Bano, the Madhya Pradesh High Court increased the amount to Rs. 179.20 in 1980. When Khan knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court, it ruled in Bano’s favour in 1985.

The judgment was a big step for Muslim women’s fight for equal rights. But it led to an uproar in the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and some sections of society that believed it was in conflict with the Islamic law. In 1986, the Rajiv Gandhi-led government passed The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act that nullified SC’s judgment. Since then, there has been a debate about having different civil codes for different religions in India.

Sheeba Chaddha notes that she has been playing a mother on screen since she was 26, the remark telling of the industry’s tendency to typecast actors. But over the past few years, a wide range of characters has been coming her way—from an antagonist in Khuda Haafiz Chapter 2 - Agni Pariksha (2022) to a ghost in Phone Bhoot (2022). 

“In the last few years, I have played diverse characters. I am fortunate that people can imagine me in diametrically opposite roles. Some filmmakers have cast me in authoritative characters too, like the one in The Trial,” says the actor.

The Trial, created and directed by Suparn S Varma, ticked a lot of boxes for Chaddha. “I had never done a courtroom drama before. Kajol was a big reason for me to say yes. I had loved Suparn’s The Family Man 2. He is a director I hadn’t worked with before. So, it was a win-win in all [aspects].”

The experience of shooting with Kajol surpassed the expectations of Chaddha, who plays her boss in the Disney+ Hotstar drama. The actor is impressed by Kajol’s generosity and appreciative demeanour. 

“Kajol is chilled out. She comes with an aura, and rightfully so—she is a remarkable performer. She is a team player, who is appreciative of everyone. She would compliment me about my look and my performance every time we had a scene together.”

In the early stages of developing The Trial, creator-director Suparn S Varma knew two things for certain—that he had a powerful source material in The Good Wife. Secondly, he would make the adaptation only with Kajol in the lead. The actor steps into Julianna Margulies’s shoes to play lawyer Noyonika Sengupta.

“When it came to casting, I had only one name. I have been a Kajol fan. She has resilience as well as a strong sense of what she will accept and what she won’t. Likewise, Noyonika is a woman of tremendous inner strength,” reasons Varma.

He was confident the leading lady would bring the much-needed depth to Noyonika, who is compelled to begin her life anew after her husband—essayed by Jisshu Sengupta—is put behind bars. “Kajol brings gravitas, and depth of emotional experiences to [her role].”

But at the end of the day, every actor is in service of the script. Adapting an Emmy Award-winning show is no mean feat. Varma and his team of writers had to localise the Disney+ Hotstar offering.

“The cases shown are contemporary. The angle between Kajol and Alyy Khan’s characters had to be reworked because in today’s times, Alyy’s character would be cancelled for having an affair with his employee. The lead character has been changed too. Plus, we knew how the original seasons evolved. So, we could add a lot of those [developments] in the first part itself.”

Jisshu Sengupta was certain he would not play a husband on screen again. From Rani Mukerji’s Mardaani franchise to Vidya Balan-led Shakuntala Devi (2020), and Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors (2020), the actor had essayed the role of the spouse one too many times. But luck had other plans, he realised, when creator-director Suparn S Varma approached him for a part in The Trial.

“When I met Suparn for the show, I didn’t know which role I was about to play. Then he said, ‘Husband!’” he laughs.

In The Trial, which is the Indian adaptation of The Good Wife, Sengupta’s character is put behind bars after his wrongdoings come to light. This compels his wife—essayed by Kajol—to begin her life anew. Early on in the narration, Sengupta understood that his role, with its complexities, was different from the husband roles he had played in the past.

“My character is grey and has got so many layers. I believe there is so much to do with negative shades in a character, something that a positive role [does not offer you].”

That said, it was neither the temptation of the layered part, nor the joy of collaborating with Varma on the Disney+ Hotstar offering that sealed the deal for him. It was, in fact, the prospect of sharing screen space with an actor he has admired for decades that did the trick.

“The moment Suparn mentioned Kajol’s name, I said, ‘Done deal.’ I am a huge fan of her work. Acting opposite her was a dream come true.”

The actor has no qualms admitting that he was a bundle of nerves before their first shot. “On the first day, I told her, ‘I am very nervous.’ She said, ‘Shut up, just shut up!’ That actually broke the ice,” he laughs, before heaping praise on Kajol. “She put me at ease. She doesn’t have the airs of a superstar. Once the camera rolls, Kajol pushes you to be better. Because she is giving her all, you feel like pushing your boundaries.”

When it comes to scripts, it’s tough to please Kajol. Tougher if she is a die-hard fan of the source material. Creator-director Suparn S Varma had his work cut out for him when he met her to narrate The Trial, the Indian adaptation of The Good Wife, a popular American legal drama that Kajol swears by. Fortunately, both the actor and the fan in her were overjoyed with Varma’s take on the original. 

“I loved The Good Wife,” says the actor, with her signature zest. “I wanted to see how it would be adapted here. It has things that I love as a woman, but I couldn’t see Indian cinema including them. But when I heard the adaptation, I loved how Suparn had put things together.”

The actor steps into Julianna Margulies’s shoes for the Disney+ Hotstar series. To Kajol’s surprise, her lawyer-character Noyonika Sengupta turned out to be more nuanced than The Good Wife’s protagonist. “This is my personal opinion, but because of the Indian culture and the society we live in, Noyonika comes across as a much richer character. She has a lot more to say,” she explains. 

The Trial—also starring Jisshu Sengupta, Kubbra Sait and Sheeba Chaddha—marks Kajol’s web series debut. In her three-decade career, the actor has worked on her own terms—be it playing a negative role in Gupt (1997) when leading ladies were expected to merely be the hero’s love interest, or taking a break in the early aughts to focus on her family. She says it is her individualistic streak that has helped her have a long run in the industry.

“For me, it’s easier to say no to people than to say yes. That’s probably why I am still working, and very happily at that. I would’ve been exhausted if I were working at the same pace as others. I must have hardly done 70 films in such a long career. The reason is I don’t work with people whom I don’t like. For me, work should be fun, not dreadful.”

Suparn Varma can’t imagine a better start to the week, as the trailer of The Trial drops online today. With it, he brings the adaptation of the popular American show, The Good Wife, to the Indian audience. He believes that in Kajol, he has the best actor to bring the story alive.

“Kajol has been India’s sweetheart for decades. I have a mad energy on set, and luckily, she is equally mad,” grins the creator-director.

In the courtroom drama, Kajol will reprise the role played by Julianna Margulies in the original. While over the years, Varma had heard much about the actor’s famed spontaneity, he saw it first-hand on her maiden web series.

“Before shooting intense scenes, we would have long discussions, where she would ask me what more she could do in the scene. I’d scribble down some lines for her, which would come from a personal space. She is a giving actor, who is always present in the moment. You can see her create her scenes in real time.”

Varma, who recently had a winner in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, says actors today are hungry to experiment with characters, and the web has given them the outlet to satiate their appetite. “The storytelling is richer, and the characters created are fuller.”

The positive response to Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai compelled the makers to reimagine the theatrical release of the ZEE5 film after it streamed on the platform last week. As reported by mid-day (Start small, go big, June 1, 2023), the film, based on the 2013 rape case of a minor by self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, opened in 20 theatres yesterday.

“It’s a symbolic release, but we are hoping that the love of the audience will increase the number of theatres,” says filmmaker Suparn Varma, who is the creative producer of the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer.

Varma insists that not only the audience but also distributors have reached out to the producers to request a big-screen release of the film. “We got calls from distributors saying they wanted to screen it, but there is a certain process in place. We sold it to Zee Studios, which sold it to ZEE5. Due to the high demand, we decided the film should be put out in theatres. It was the audience’s love that got the movie out. I have been lucky and privileged to get love with The Family Man and Rana Naidu, but with Bandaa, it feels like a tsunami,” shares the producer of the Apoorv Singh Karki-helmed movie. 

Crediting Bajpayee for an effortless collaboration, Varma says, “Manoj is one of the greatest collaborators in the world because he comes without ego. He is there to give it his all. That is how magic happens because you are coming from the space of honesty.”

Sirf Ek Bandaa Bi Kaafi Hai marks the second collaboration between Bajpayee and Varma.

In the film, Manoj Bajpayee plays lawyer Poonam Chand Solanki (left)

Manoj Bajpayee’s 29-year career is built of diverse roles, but oddly, he never played a lawyer. Now that he has donned the black robe for Bandaa, he is bringing to screen a case that had caught the country’s attention. In the upcoming film, the actor portrays Poonam Chand Solanki, the Jodhpur-based lawyer who led the prosecution against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu for raping a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh, in his ashram in August 2013. 

Creative producer Suparn Varma says that the survivor’s courage prodded him to tell the story. “Her courage inspired a lawyer to stand against the country’s biggest lawyers,” he begins.

At the same time, the film gave the producer an opportunity to analyze the role of faith and godmen in India. “In India, we are lucky to have a system where we have gurus and gyanis. But when some play around with faith, it hurts.”

The ZEE5 film spans five years, from the filing of the chargesheet in 2013 to Asaram’s conviction in 2018. Varma and his team conducted a six-month research on the subject before approaching Bajpayee to lead the Vinod Bhanushali production, and Apoorv Singh Karki to helm it. 

“Manoj usually takes a couple of days to a week to say yes. But he immediately agreed to do the film. It’s a powerful story that needs to be told. Also, Manoj is a father to a daughter.”

In 2022, before the film rolled, the team met the real-life hero who fought against the godman, even as he got multiple threats, and several witnesses were attacked. “Solanki is a quiet man, when it comes to his convictions. After meeting him, we started working on the script, and wrote about 18 drafts.” He adds that Solanki’s journey was unique because he didn’t fight the system.

“The film shows how he used the system against power. The judiciary, the government, and the police worked in sync to deliver justice. He made the system work.”

(L to R) Shekhar Kapur; Suparn Varma; Karan Johar and Amish Tripathi

Content studio, International Art Machine, led by ex-head of Amazon Video, Roy Price whose series have won multiple Emmy, Bafta and Golden Globe awards, is all set to make its mark in India with a power-packed line-up. Beginning its slate with one of India’s fastest-selling book series in publishing history, the Shiva Trilogy by acclaimed author Amish Tripathi, it has signed Oscar and National Award-winning director Shekhar Kapur to helm this project along with sought-after writer-director Suparn S Varma as director and showrunner.

Talking about the project, Shekhar Kapur said, “Amish’s Shiva Trilogy has been India’s great publishing sensation, crossing every age and class. It’s not just mythology, it’s modern storytelling at its best. Lending itself to a beautiful international series.”

“One couldn’t have asked for a better team than this to take my books into the audio-visual world. I am sure that with a team like this, we will create a web series that is worthy of Lord Shiva,” said Amish Tripathi.

“The look of the adaptation will be unlike anything seen by viewers before, the books by Amish are the blueprint to build our imagination. Now we seek to surprise the audiences and him,” said Suparn S Varma.

“I could not imagine a better project to start International Art Machine’s life than Shiva, and there is no better dream team to fully realise the potential of Amish’s novels than Shekhar Kapur and Suparn S Varma. It was meant to be!” said Roy Price, CEO and Founder, International Art Machine.

As they enter India, the content studio is committed to creating credible, creative and commercial stories across theatrical and digital platforms, and they have an exciting upcoming slate.

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In 2012, Karan Johar had created a buzz in Bollywood when he acquired the adaptation rights of Amish Tripathi’s bestseller, The Immortals Of Meluha. The adaptation, however, did not materialise, and Johar’s remake rights reportedly expired in 2017. But every story has its fate. It looks like Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy is destined to play out on the screen. Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has joined forces with The Family Man 2 director Suparn S Varma to helm a show based on the first book of the mythological fantasy series.

For Varma, who serves as the showrunner and director of the series, it is a responsibility and an honour to bring alive the author’s written word on the screen. He has had multiple discussions with Kapur and Tripathi to ensure they are creatively aligned. “The Meluha trilogy is a genre-defining book. With Amish, it has been a meeting of minds from the first discussion. His ambition reflected in the book is contagious, and to translate his epic on screen is a responsibility I’m happy to take on,” says Varma. 

The project is all the more special as it unites him with one of his idols. “Shekhar Kapur is a film school. Collaborating with him is a journey that will involve discoveries about life, the world we live in, and the one we seek to create.”

While many filmmakers have evinced interest in adapting the trilogy, Tripathi says he is assured of Kapur and Varma’s vision for the story. “There is grandeur to the story, especially showing worlds that have never been seen before on OTT screens, such as the Indus-Saraswati civilisation. But at its core, the series will chronicle the extraordinary journey of a hero.”

Kapur views the trilogy as a story that cuts across age and genre. “It’s not just mythology, it’s modern storytelling at its best [that] lends itself to a beautiful international series,” he says. The team will begin casting soon.

Backing the trilogy is International Art Machine, which intends to foray into Indian entertainment with the project. Roy Price, CEO of the studio, says, “Our goal is to partner with creators across Asia to produce series that will carry the banner of Asian originals abroad.”

The studio also has Dibakar Banerjee’s political thriller Kitty Party, and the Preity Zinta-helmed dramedy, Gods, in the pipeline.

It’s not easy to outdo the first season of The Family Man. But a week since the second instalment has dropped, critics and the audience have agreed that it is sharper than its predecessor. For co-writer and co-director Suparn Verma, the second season’s success is a personal victory. "I am just glad we’ve been able to break the curse of the second season,” he starts off. Referring to the common industry notion that the second instalment of any successful franchise rarely lives up to the expectations, Varma says the success of season 2 was important for him. “I gave my 300%. I have known Raj and DK since the time they first came to the city. So when they were trusting me with their baby - a series this successful - I didn’t want to disappoint them." 

Commended for drawing a thin line that separates heroes from villains in their story, Verma says they never envisioned Samatha Akkineni’s Raji as a villain. “The backstory and research into her character required us to understand Tamil Eelam closely, especially this Australian documentary (we watched) on the subject. The atrocities meted out to women in war camps is numbing. Most of these people are no longer in Lanka. They are in Australia, Europe but the core is they are people without a homeland, always striving to return to a place where they belong. These women soldiers when they spoke, their eyes were vacant and had a deadpan expression. Hearing their stories will give you sleepless nights. Samantha channeled that numbness beautifully. It was important for us to have Muthu - who speaks of their government, their hospitals, an airport, army, roads. It’s a community. This situation can’t be reduced to black and white. They see us as enemies and vice versa. We had to show both perspectives of what they are. For us, Raji and Sajid having that conversation on their way to Point Pedro was trying to tap into the philosophy of people growing up without a land. Their means are wrong but we see their dreams and hopes.”

A section of netizens criticised the makers for resorting to brownfacing to pass Akkineni off as a Tamil rebel. He admits to being baffled by the harsh comments. “People should check out pictures of those who’ve fought wars. They come out looking like different people who’ve aged far beyond their years. This wasn’t a beautification issue; the look is based on solid research. We wanted a Tamil speaking brilliant actor and who  better than Samantha? She needed to look weather beaten and lived in jungles.”

Recently, journalist Rana Ayyub tweeted about the series’ Islamophobic vein, pointing out that most Muslim characters have been painted in broad strokes of villainy. Verma fights the claim head-on as he says, “I will debunk that by citing our season 1 where we used that trope and turned it around by creating Kareem’s character. He was trying to make a political statement about lynchings based on what they eat. His death is a guilt Srikant carries in this season when he goes to meet Jonali and tells her he wasn’t a terrorist. We consciously addressed it head on.”

Varma says he and co-creators Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK, Suman Kumar are mindful of bringing their politics into the writing. “We are primarily striving for authenticity more than balance. We are fine showing our protagonist as a flawed guy - he loses track of his own lies, his marriage is crumbling as a result. He has justified to himself he is right but think from Suchi’s perspective, is he? But flaws make you relatable and likeable. We don’t want to create a Ram-like ideal.”

And that brings up the show’s 'Katappa-ko-kyun-maara' question. What happened in Lonavla? “We all took a call and each of us had different reasons for not revealing. My reason was - season 1 ended with Delhi almost being wiped out and all people cared about was what happened between Suchi and Arvind. Talk about priorities! I don’t want to ever tell what happened there. That said, Suchi’s assumed cheating did invite polarising responses. The judgement towards Suchi comes from a place of sexism because people are justifying Srikant by saying - 'Oh he was fighting terrorists and saving the country.' The sexism becomes even more apparent when scenes like these come on screen. I can bet that if Srikant had cheated, no one would have stopped to enrage as much. We needed to show her mental state - she lost Arvind, the only friend she could talk to. She can’t talk to her own husband and is living in her own hell. She is raising a teenage daughter who blames her. So we see her as a lone woman, trying to keep it together.”

While the team of writers are yet to put pen to paper; the germ of idea of season 3 is already chalked out. “I would tell you but then I’ll have to kill you,” says Verma before adding that they’ve spent the week reading feedback, reviews and partying on zoom calls over beers and coffee. Well deserved, we’d say!