Big Girls Don’t Cry showrunner and writer Sudhanshu Saria feels that because viewers have so many options these days, there is no room for subpar storylines on OTT platforms

The latest coming-of-age movie Big Girls Don’t Cry (BGDC) on Prime Video’s set was filmed directly within the unfamiliar confines of an all-girls boarding school. The series, which is set in a mountainous area, not only introduces a fresh cast of female performers but also includes Pooja Bhatt, Tanya Abrol, Loveleen Sharma, and Suchitra Pillai. The show’s directors include Kopal Naithani (one episode), Nitya Mehra (one episode), Sudhanshu Saria (two episodes), and Karan Kapadia (two episodes).

More than finding difficulties while working with other writers and directors, the National Award-winning filmmaker Saria, who is also the showrunner and writer of the series, claims that everyone’s participation mattered.

Saria goes on, “If the talents complement each other and the synergies are right, it can be a very good thing.” It provides you with a variety of viewpoints and increases the show’s relatability. “It also allowed multiple units to shoot at the same time, which expedited the process,” the speaker continues.

Acquiring notoriety

For his 2020 psychological thriller Knock Knock Knock, which is based in Darjeeling, Sudhanshu was awarded a national award. The movie also became well-known at international cinema festivals in Berlin, Busan, Hong Kong, Israel, Estonia, and other places. His first feature picture, Love (2018), as well as his short films, A Tight Spot and His New Hands, were shown at a number of festivals.

Does Saria see any parallels between the OTT media and parallel cinema as he embraces OTT with BGDC? Not really, however. The only parallel I can see is in the way I handle material, whether it’s for festivals or internet platforms. I’m attempting self-discovery while creating fresh, original narratives. Today’s audiences are exposed to a wide variety of movies and television shows, so it’s important to experiment and be innovative in order to keep them interested and engaged, says Saria.

Moving beyond the 2022 release of Sanaa, which starred Radhika Madan, Sohum Shah, and Pooja Bhatt, and into television shows like BGDC, Saria has gone a long way. He is now anticipating his next film Ulajh, which also stars major names like Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah, and Roshan Mathew. Going forward, he would like to choose the less traveled path. “I believe the trend that has emerged, particularly after the epidemic, is a lack of interest in and tolerance for substandard narratives. Whatever the budget, the narrative has to be innovative, fresh, and captivating. The budget for that narrative will depend on how it is told and who it is intended for. Which performers can you recruit to help you decide on the reach and, thus, the budget? Therefore, a strong script is the most important element, and everything else is secondary.

At this early point in his career, the filmmaker describes receiving a National Award as a “overwhelming” event and a “absolute honor.” “It is a big honor, considering the caliber and breadth of talent in our nation,” he continues. It is quite energizing.

Casting for Pooja

Pooja Bhatt, who portrays the lead role in BGDC, was a fantastic headmistress Anita Verma of the Vandana Valley Girls. Saria states, “I recently completed a movie with Pooja Bhatt called Sanaa (2018), and we had a great time. As a result, we understood early on in the BGDC casting process that we required a unique and gifted actor, someone like Pooja Bhatt. She was eager to participate, so all it required was a quick phone call. She didn’t even read the screenplay before she said yes.

He also had nothing but appreciation for the seven outstanding new actors in the BGDC: Vidushi, Dalai, Afrah Sayed, Lhakyila, Avantika Vandanapu, and Aneet Padda. He ends, saying, “At this point, all I’m concerned with is making sure that as many people as possible take a chance, enter this world, and see what these actors have been able to accomplish in BGDC.”

Finding fresh talent

Saria and others were adamant from the start that they needed to assemble a youthful group. It did not interest them to have a thirty-year-old portray an eighteen-year-old. “We spent nearly eight months finding the right cast,” Saria says. And each of these seven females fit into their positions so well when they joined the team.