Express News Service
The creative brains behind the new Netflix show, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein—writer Anahata Menon, writer-director Siddharth Sengupta and dialogue writer Varun Badola—are frequent collaborators. They often share ideas, pick each other’s brains on different ideas for shows that they feel might take off. One of the genres that Anahata and Siddharth are interested in is dark, telling romance. Initially, as Siddharth recalls—“when we all were really young”—they were struck by an idea, the one that germinated into Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein.
Siddharth’s quip results in reminiscent laughter from all three of them, at the tail end of which Anahata explains that this series has been in development for many, many years now: “Siddharth and I love this genre. Such dark love stories are nuts, intense and whacked out. We have always been discussing them. This particular idea was special as it would keep coming up and we would spin it at different times, but those were television days. Somehow, it never fit then. We felt that the story should be told in the way it deserved. In retrospect, I think there is divine grace in every creative process and this gestation period helped this idea grow into what it is today.”
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While Varun did not have much to do with the story of this show, he worked on the dialogues, an experience he shares was ‘great’. Prodded about his experience and the inspiration behind the dialogues in the show, Varun shares that the aim was always to keep it all real. He says, “Most of the dialogues are pretty situational. We haven’t tried to overachieve through our dialogues. Bohot filmy nahi hai… the dialogues are functional and real. At times, this was a difficult thing to achieve. Though your dialogues must sound like a conversation, they also need to be juicy enough to keep audiences interested.”
Siddharth also believes in the importance of letting certain moments speak for themselves, without the corrupting effects of additional melodrama. Pointing to a scene where Vikrant seemingly tips over to the dark side in the presence of Shika and his friend Goldie, he explains that their reaction is more along the lines of how a normal human being would react in such a moment. “The idea is to show what an ordinary person does when pushed to the tipping point.”
Tahir Raj Bhasin plays the role of Vikrant in the series while Anchal Singh and Shweta Tripathi play Purva and Shika respectively. Siddharth is convinced that they all fit their parts and goes on to talk about how the show seeks to capture the humdrum of everyday existence. To this end, the ability of Tahir, he says, came in really handy.
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He says, “He is a brilliant actor with a huge range. To get into the character’s mind, an actor must be able to deliver something that is not on paper. I needed a really good actor for that.” Tahir’s dedication was apparent, he says, in the homework he did. “I have always been impressed with Shweta’s work and have been a fan since her work in Haraamkhor opposite Nawazuddin Siddique. I was overjoyed when Shweta agreed to get onboard. As for Anchal, Varun recommended her name and there was previous experience in working with her on the television soap, Undekhi.”
The conversation gets to the potential reference to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, with the show adding a dark twist to the famous dialogue, “Raj agar woh tumse pyar karti hai to woh ek baar palat ke dekhegi… palat… palat…?” This scene happens in this show Vikrant comes to the realisation that Purva, the daughter of a powerful man, might just be interested in him. Siddharth clarifies that the scene is not a commentary of any kind on the original iconic film. However, he does admit that it’s a moment that takes inspiration from the 1990s Shah Rukh Khan-starrer. Incidentally, the title of the series — Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein — is also the title of a song in another popular Shah Rukh Khan film, Baazigar, which came out in 1993.
“These are inspirations, yes, but the fundamental idea that fuels this show is the urge to keep it all real,” wraps up Varun.
