Neeraj Pandey: If only self-regulated censorship was enough

A still from Special Ops

The specialist of espionage thrillers Neeraj Pandey, who has to his credit films like A Wednesday (2008), Special 26 (2013), Baby (2015), among others, made his digital debut in 2020 with Special Ops. Headlined by Kay Kay Menon, the eight-episode series garnered a nod from both critics and viewers for its sleek and taut storytelling and compelling performances.

Nominated in the Best Series (Thriller) category in the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards, Special Ops is inspired by several espionage missions undertaken by India in the last two decades. Staying true to his style, Pandey explains that he spent years conducting extensive research for the Disney+Hotstar series. "We spent a lot of time researching and reading about [the subject] before diving into writing the series." Emulating the set pattern of making a film, Pandey reasons he applied the same logic with the series. "[Irrespective of the medium], the approach of making a thriller doesn't change. We spent the same amount of time and effort as we would on a feature film," says the filmmaker.

Neeraj Pandey

Probe him on OTT platforms coming under the purview of I&B Ministry, and he insists that they never took the freedom for granted. "I wish we were in a world where self-regulation was enough, but that is easier said than done. Liberties were taken because there was no censorship, which will inadvertently affect people associated with it. It doesn't change our process [of creating content] because we never took undue advantage of it. So, it doesn't matter," he says.

Did you know?

Special Ops has recreated the Parliament of India for filming the 2001 attack portions which was dealt with the first time in film history.

Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards

Special Ops has been nominated in the Best Series (Thriller) category. The other nominees are:

. Aarya (Disney+Hotstar)
. Asur (Voot Select)
. Mirzapur 2 (Amazon Prime Video)
. Paatal Lok (Amazon Prime Video)
. Stage of Siege 26/11 (ZEE5)

Log on to www.hitlistottawards.com to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on February 9.