In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the on-screen men in uniform spoke about their respective characters, the evolution of content post the arrival of OTT, and much more
Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders is currently streaming on Netflix and stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Chitrangda Singh, Radhika Apte, and Rajat Kapoor. It has received rave reviews from critics and fans. And both Siddiqui and Kapoor have left a lasting impression with their performances.
In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the on-screen men in uniform spoke about their respective characters, the evolution of content post the arrival of OTT, and much more.
Edited excerpts from the interview
Nawaz, how much did you remember the character of
Jatil Yadav and how much do you feel it has evolved in the last five years?
You end up doing a lot of work in five years, but there are glimpses of that character that you have in your mind. But your muscle memory does give some signals because this is a character that you have played before. But this time, there are a lot more layers to the character and is far more complicated.
Rajat, what attracted you to the script of
Raat Akeli Hai 2?
It was quite attractive. Whodunnits are difficult to write because the world becomes automatically intense. And just that one final twist will be crap. It has to keep the audiences engaged enough to make them reach that last stage.
Nawaz, you have played a couple of cop characters before. How is Jatil Yadav different from them?
All the characters will feel similar as far as the uniform is concerned. But their background is completely different, his parents and world are completely different. What is actually challenging for an actor is to play the same character differently, as opposed to playing different characters in the same way (laughs).
OTT has played a crucial role in the evolution of Content. But are there any challenges to the streaming platforms?
Rajat: The OTT platforms have their own strategy and idea of what works. The studios should think about profits, but not everything can be profitable. Nine out of 10 things can be for profits, but one idea should be for yourself. Not everything has to be number driven- I am talking about producers and distributors. Sometimes you have to do it for prestige and for the love of it.
So many filmmakers in the 70s and 80s made their debuts- Mani Kaul, Saeed Mirza, Ketan Mehta, Vinod Chopra, and that is exactly the reason why it was called the new wave. And that wave does not happen if there is no government subsidy, market support
Nawaz, Sacred Games was the web series that led to the evolution of OTT back in 2018. How much do you feel content has changed or evolved in these last years?
Frankly speaking, I do not watch too much content. I only watch something when I find it interesting, when there are a lot of conversations happening around it. But commercial success is important for me because the smaller films also get the opportunities that they deserve. There are a lot of movies that I have done for a meager amount. If I do a big ticket entertainer seen by 100 people, at least five of them could show up to watch my smaller films; but I can’t see them anymore either. It is becoming really difficult to release the kind of cinema that we liked.
Rajat, so many directors have started their careers with you- Farhan Akhtar, Sagar Ballary, Naseeruddin Shah, Saurabh Shukla. When do you know that this is a voice that can be trusted?
I am always very excited to work with first time directors. Because they are always very passionate in their lives. And you’re right, there’s no way of judging. And the script also tells you that it is a risk worth taking. However., it could be a great script, but still a bad film.
End of Article
