Exploring new horizons

NIKKHIL ADVANI TELLS TANZIM PARDIWALLA THAT DESPITE BEING A FILM BUFF, HE LOVES WORKING IN THE OTT SPACE

-  TANZIM PARDIWALLA

Nikkhil Advani has seen Bollywood's progressive are. From the making of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai where he served as an associate director to directing the unforgettable and endlessly quotable Kal Ho Naa Ho, he witnessed the shift in cinema and went with the tumultuous flow. His foray into the OTT space has been equally rewarding with Rocket Boys on which he served as creator bagging an Emmy nomination. In a world where everything including the way we make movies has changed, Advani finds himself nostalgic for the honesty that classic Bollywood films championed. After the release of his latest show, Mumbai Diaries Season 2, the filmmaker opened up about his hits and misses and more.

WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE FASCINATED BY SHOWS AND FILMS ABOUT DISASTERS?

It’s not so much about the disaster. It’s about the victory from the disaster. When season one of Mumbai Diaries came out, there was a great comment that said, it’s not about heroes, it’s about survivors, the city is about survivors. Lots of people survive in season two, but lots of people don’t. We want to see heroic stuff happening. We consider ourselves not to be big heroes in real life, right? And we manifest ourselves in what they are going through. And so if those guys are going through the same problems as you, you are engaged. Somebody’s being beaten up at home. Somebody is having an issue with identity. Somebody is unable to muster the courage to ask a girl out. If we can just elevate those problems into something engaging, I think that resonates with lots of people.

WHEN YOU’RE MAKING A SHOW ABOUT A DISASTER, IS THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES ALSO A BIT OF A DISASTER?