Bhav Dhulia on Why He Started With A Web Series As His Directorial Debut: A massive megastar is required to mount a film, but there is no pressure in OTT
Bhav Dhulia, the director of Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, began his career as an assistant director. He worked as an assistant director on several notable movies, including “Paan Singh Tomar,” “Drishyam,” and “Madaari.” Being an assistant director, Bhav had the option of directing a big-screen picture, but instead, he decided to make his directorial debut in the OTT market. His first endeavor, “Khakee,” was a partnership with renowned director Neeraj Pandey. He received a lot of praise and recognition for the presentation. He is now preparing to wow the audience with yet another production, “The Freelancer,” in which he has partnered with Pandey once again. Beginning on September 1, the online series will make its Disney+Hotstar debut.
We had a rambling talk with Bhav before the show’s premiere in which we inquired about his decision to make his directorial debut on OTT space. He said, “My goal was to create films, but what occurred earlier is that at that time, in order to produce a picture, you always needed a huge actor or a production studio. Getting a break requires a lot of time, and the times were changing at the moment. Not only me, but OTT was also just emerging. The majority of my classmates who have produced web series all agreed that this is our opportunity and how we break into the industry.
“OTT space is where we can get our break,” he said. There was no pressure to get a great megastar, and you could tell a variety of tales. In the end, if the plot is strong in a web series, you may get to tell a lengthy tale and can dig into a lot of characters. Most of my friends who were young filmmakers have always gone to the web series sector. That turned out to be a gift in disguise since online series also allow you to experience diverse storylines.
Dhlulia said when asked about the benefits of directing in the long form, “The major benefit of directing in OTT space is you get to tell a tale in a more thorough approach. A tale is being told over the course of 7-8 episodes. In a movie, you have two hours to convey the plot. Second, you have more opportunities to travel. We have investigated the world of Indian mercenaries working from Europe, North Africa, and ISIS, much like in The Freelancer. Only on OTT do you have the chance to go into depth. Any new narrative you’ve seen in the previous two to three years, whether it be The Night Manager or Criminal Justice, came on OTT. Long-form narratives allow you to study characters who only appear in such lengths.
Anupam Kher, Mohit Raina, Sushant Singh, and Kashmira Pardeshi play crucial parts in the film “The Freelancer.” The originator and showrunner of Friday Storytellers’ production is Neeraj Pandey.
