Sumit Saxena: Studios would say, who is Vijay Varma?

A still from the series

It speaks volumes about an actor's calibre when a writer pens a story keeping him in mind. To Kaalkoot writer-director Sumit Saxena, Vijay Varma was always the only choice to lead his series. This, years before the industry woke up to the actor's talent with Gully Boy (2019). "This was even before Pink [2016] happened," Saxena highlights, underlining that he had developed the story in early 2016.

Sumit Saxena

The director recounts that he knew Varma since 2008, and teamed up with him on a show titled Cheers in 2016. That was enough to tell him that the actor would be the perfect choice for the JioCinema series, which revolves around a police officer investigating an acid attack case. "[After I wrote Kaalkoot], I had countless meetings with studios, where I showed them the script and asked them to cast Vijay. They would say, ‘Who the f''k is Vijay Varma?' [In my head], I'd say, ‘There will be a time when you will know who he is.' At the time, I told Vijay that I'd make the show with him some day, and that we would give a resounding clapback to all those who didn't know him."

Besides co-writing the series with Arunabh Kumar, Saxena penned poems that take the narrative ahead, often conveying a message. While some are uplifting, others are bold, sprinkled with expletives. "You usually don't hear cuss words in literary Hindi poetry. A literary artist fought with me over using Maa ch'''' duniya in a poem. She argued that this is not how a great Hindi poet would ever write, and I said that was exactly my point," he shares, adding that they wanted to show Varma's on-screen father, portrayed by Tighmanshu Dhulia, as a liberal poet.

Another poem is titled Tumhari jaangon ke beech. The director emphasises that the idea is "not to titillate or entertain". He says, "It's a sincere poem, postdated by the late husband reminding his wife to move on after he is gone." Asked why he wanted Varma's character to read out the poem to his mother, Saxena reasons, "The father wanted his son to be okay with his mother's sexuality, to be okay with it if she chooses another partner after his death."