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‘Those who sent us harsh texts apologised later’
Updated On: 13 July, 2021 08:21 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu
Revisiting 1984 riots through the lens of a love story, Grahan director discusses how initial public opposition softened due to the sensitive handling of series
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Director Ranjan Chandel explaining a scene to Anshuman Pushkar and Wamiqa Gabbi
Among the most discussed web series since the stellar The Family Man 2 is `Grahan`. Set against the backdrop of the 1984 Sikh riots, the eight-part series is being lauded for its balanced approach. For Ranjan Chandel, who has helmed and co-written the Disney+ Hotstar series, it is a product of divine intervention. He remembers working on the post-production of Bamfaad (2020) when he came across Satya Vyas’s novel Chaurasi. “I was attracted to its poetic storytelling, and the compelling love story. I considered translating it into a movie. But I got busy with other things. Then, producer Ajay Rai contacted me to adapt a book, and it turned out to be the same book. At that very moment, I knew I had to make the show,” begins the writer-director.
Creating the world of Grahan — which features Pavan Malhotra, Zoya Hussain and Wamiqa Gabbi — was not easy, especially since the narrative straddles two timelines, the ’80s and the present day. “The novel’s story is only a part of the series. We built upon it to make it relevant in the modern times. Writing was a challenge because we were dealing with sensitive subjects here, but in my heart, it remained a relationship drama. A love story from the ’80s marred by socio-political issues runs parallel to a father-daughter relationship as the daughter is handed a case from that decade. Socio-political elements were consciously kept in the periphery.” Chandel developed draft after draft, knowing that sensitive treatment of the subject was imperative to its success. “Three months before the shoot, I started rewriting the draft because I didn’t want to leave any room for imbalance. Shooting was another challenge. We had done our recce at Bokaro, but due to the pandemic, the steel plant was shut. We initially planned to shoot in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, but eventually shot it in Lucknow after the Uttar Pradesh government allowed shoots.”
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