Raj & DK, Sudip Sharma, Sujoy Ghosh, Vishal Bhardwaj and Apoorva Bakshi Join Netflix India's Panel Discussion At Jio MAMI 2023

Netflix India x Jio MAMI

Netflix India and Jio MAMI hosted a stimulating panel, "Seminal Storytellers in Streaming 2023," with 5 filmmakers who had their films released on Netflix. The panel, which was moderated by RJ Rohini Ramanathan, included five directors: Apoorva Bakshi for 'The Hunt for Veerappan', Raj & DK for 'Guns and Gulaabs', Sudip Sharma for 'Kohraa', Sujoy Ghosh for 'Jaane Jaan', and Vishal Bhardwaj for 'Khufiya'.

Apoorva Bakshi on the making of the docu-series 'Hunt For Veerappan', "There were so many aspects of Veerappan’s fractured psyche that were not known to people beyond a certain region. Our teams researched extensively, captured over 240 hours of footage, and took a lot of care to build a portrayal of the life of a man from the lens of those close to him and those involved in the manhunt. There was a perception about this complex personality. Through the docu-series, we wanted to offer viewers a well-rounded, unbiased view of the story so that they could form their own perspective, and that’s what streaming and Netflix made possible."Hit duo Raj & DK shared, "When we started writing our first series, we were practically reinventing the wheel because we had no idea where to start. We were in fact looking up online as to what a bible is, how to design an episode, etc. We slowly realised that we should come up with our own process to create a series. We also observed that the kind of story we were trying to tell was dictating the length and structure of the series. As you can see from the various shows we have done, each time the approach is kind of varied. And by the time we got to Guns & Gulaabs, we were having more fun and free-wheeling with the structure and shape of the series. One example would be the last episode. We turned it into a "feature film" with an intermission built-in. This is the beauty of streaming; it gives you the freedom to experiment with formats and the art of storytelling."

Sudip Sharma, on streaming platforms bringing local stories to audiences, said, "A great character is one that audiences can empathise with and understand its motivations. As a creator, you need to be convinced about your characters before taking them into the world. When working on Kohrra, language was a key marker for authentic storytelling. Since the series is based in a small town in Punjab, Punjabi was the only language I imagined the series to be in. The advantage of working in streaming and with Netflix is the freedom it provides to create stories in a language that feels organic to the story while also giving the audience the power of choice when it comes to watching it in a language of their preference through dubs."Sujoy Ghosh, sharing his thoughts on creating content for streaming platforms, said, “When I read Devotion of Suspect X, I knew this was the love story I wanted to make, and all it took was the script to bring Kareena on board as well. I truly believe that for any actor today, if given a good script, they will make sure to give it their all, no matter the medium—theatres or streaming platforms".

Khufiya maker Vishal Bhardwaj, on the craft of storytelling in the streaming era, said, "One of the major advantages of working with streaming platforms like Netflix is that they enable us to experiment. Khufiya had been my passion project and in the works for quite some time; however, to bring this to life, it required someone who could grasp the nuance and pace of the story, and with Netflix, I got just that support."