Pankaj Kapur on JL 50: I would call this my accidental OTT debut

Pankaj Kapur

Having sealed his place in cinema and theatre, Pankaj Kapur had admittedly not given a thought to digital entertainment. It took a serendipitous turn of events for the actor to foray into the web world. "I would call this my accidental OTT debut," laughs the veteran, whose web series JL50 dropped online yesterday.

Kapur reveals that the project, also featuring Abhay Deol, was initially developed as a film. "Now, it has been converted into a series. I am fine with the decision taken by the director [Shailender Vyas], producers and the officials at SonyLiv. When someone is part of a film, s/he expects it to be released as one. But when I was told by the director that it will be released as a web series, I did a rethink and felt it had the potential for a long-format story."

Abhay Deol in the series

The four-part series sees Deol play a CBI officer investigating an aeroplane crash. The investigation takes an interesting turn when it is discovered that the aircraft in question disappeared 35 years ago in Kolkata. Kapur, who essays the role of a scientist aiding the inquiry, says the story deftly explores time travel. "The theme of time travel has not been explored through visuals; instead, it has been done in an explanatory manner. Even though the story studies time travel and the physics behind it, it has been broken down and explained for the common man to understand," he states. With JL50 behind him, the actor will soon resume the shoot of Jersey, which has him sharing screen space with actor-son Shahid Kapoor.

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