More shows, homegrown or international, have fallen prey to the jinx of the second season than broken it. But Tanya Bami, series head, Netflix India, is confident as the streaming giant rolls out the second season of its successful offerings — Delhi Crime, Masaba Masaba, Mismatched, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, and many more. The key, she says, is superlative writing.

An obvious rule, but hard to follow. “Series writing is the most immersive and extensive process,” Bami begins. “We start developing the second season of a show when the first [edition] is in production. So, it’s tough for writers to come up with a meritorious season two that increases the scope of the story. At the same time, the signals from the audiences are important. Who did they engage with? How do we amp up certain parts?”

Many lessons, she says, are learnt by keeping one’s ear to the ground. Bami cites the example of Neena and Masaba Gupta’s popular series, Masaba Masaba. “In the first season, people enjoyed the mother-daughter chemistry. Every girl connects with it because you love your mom, but when she [delves] deep into your life, it makes you uncomfortable. So, we amped up such nuances and added a new dimension to their unique chemistry [in the upcoming instalment].”

One would assume that their trump card is Delhi Crime. The maiden season of the Shefali Shah and Rasika Dugal-starrer was adjudged the Best Drama at the 48th International Emmy Awards. Almost two years since the win, as the second edition gears up for release, the expectations are naturally higher. Ask her about the long gap between the two seasons, and Bami says, “We wanted to bring in its best version. So, if it needs a certain amount of deep-diving even after it is created, or needs a patch shoot or needs us to reimagine some things [in the story], we always support our creators. I am happy it has shaped up so well.”

The Indian OTT landscape is ever-evolving, making it the perfect ground for braver ideas and experimentation. “The lockdown opened people’s minds. Content from the South has become a rage. Indian audiences love their stars, so Ranveer vs Wild With Bear Grylls is doing well. People want us to present dynamic stories, new ideas and production quality that is equal to a theatrical movie. They also expect variety in terms of formats — so we have scripted [shows], and unscripted [originals].”

While Raveena Tandon-led Aranyak drops online today, the team at Netflix India has begun work on its second edition. Some might argue that it’s too soon to count your chickens, but Tanya Bami, series head, Netflix India, says the idea was to develop it as a multi-season series, from the beginning.

“We are actively developing the second season of Aranyak. When we [explore] an idea, we look for the potential to turn it into a franchise. We [keep] the writers’ room running even [when the show is in] production. Once you understand the characters, it’s good to keep that momentum going,” she reasons.

Set in the dense forest of the Himalayas, Tandon’s debut OTT venture sees her as a harried local cop who teams up with her replacement Angad — essayed by Parambrata Chatterjee — to solve a big-ticket murder case of a teenage tourist. Bami says it’s encouraging to see an increasing number of stories being led by women.

“Female-forward narrative is important to us. We had Bombay Begums, Masaba Masaba, and Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives. We know how versatile Raveena is. [Through her arc], we’ll show how women have to keep several balls in the air — be it managing home, work and relationships. Such messages come forward in a female-led narrative and give the story an edge.”

Glimpses of the cast were depicted using projection mapping

Imagine 25 people in the heart of a forest plunged into darkness. Somewhere not too far away, eerie music begins to play. As if on cue, the trees around start lighting up, one by one. Sounds like the opening scene of a thriller? Here’s the twist though — the 25 people are journalists, and the forest, in reality, the lawns of the Hilton Shillim Estate in Lonavala.

On Monday, Netflix India launched the trailer of Aranyak, which marks the OTT debut of Raveena Tandon, in a special event. It won’t be wrong to say that the makers brought the fictional town of Sironah — in which the series is set — alive in Lonavala. Before we had a dekko at the two-minute trailer, we experienced the spooky universe of the crime thriller. Glimpses of the cast and the trailer were projected on the trees around, using 100-feet projection mapping, as the play of light created imagery of a dense forest around, all set to a spine-chilling score. We weren’t the only ones impressed by the experience — Tandon, who came on stage soon after, summed it up: “Earlier, we used to have mahurats. Today, when I saw this, I was overwhelmed.”

The actor, who was joined by Ashutosh Rana, Meghna Malik, director Vinay Waikul and producer Rohan Sippy, said she felt like a debutant all over again. “My first film Patthar Ke Phool [1991] was with Sippy Films, and now, my OTT debut is with them. Life has come full circle. Since 1991, I’ve been in front of you. I hope [this] will mark [the beginning of] another 30 years of you tolerating me,” she laughed.

At odds with their supernatural thriller, the mood was light-hearted as Sippy joked, “I have aged 60 years. But she still looks like she did in 1991.”

Tanya Bami, series head, Netflix India described Aranyak as a “propulsive thriller”, adding that every woman will identify with Tandon’s character.