Before TVF Pitchers 2, how the show heralded a new era of content-watching and introduced some of the finest actors working today

In fact, in an earlier interview with indianexpress.com, lead actor Naveen Kasturia had opened up about how Pitchers heralded the trend of web series in India: “The show was one of the first web series in India. We really had no clue if it would ever be accepted. It was a time when internet was still in the nascent period and quite expensive. And it seemed like an unreal thought that people would log on to YouTube to watch a show. As an actor, I was in need of work. And while many would think it to be a courageous decision, it was a much needed step in my life. Thankfully, it worked, and started the trend of web shows in the country.”

The co-incidental mirroring of TVF makers and Pitchers crew with the story of its characters (both were dipping their toes into something fresh for the first time) sat well with the audience, who applauded its effort to tell a motivational, entertaining and youth-centric narrative without asking a lot of time from people in return. Their risk-taking was awarded with its actors experiencing breakthroughs in their careers. Casting director and Bhediya actor Abhishek Banerjee, who had always wanted to be in front of the camera, got his big break through a small role in the show. Banerjee appears for a few minutes as Bhati in Pitchers, who has gotten out of the rut of the 9-5 desk job and started something of his own. Bhati’s ‘Tu beer hai’ dialogue acquired a life of its own, where he is seen giving a pep talk to the downcast Naveen Bansal (played by Naveen Kasturia).

During the trailer launch of Pitchers Season 2, Banerjee recalled auditioning reluctantly for the part.

“Pitchers 1 actually made me an actor. Before that, I was dejected actor. I got too many rejections from a lot of casting directors and lots of directors. In fact, I was so demotivated at that time that I had apprehensions about going for the auditions for Bhati (his role in TVF Pitchers). It was one scene role and Nidhi, who is my friend, she started calling me for this audition. And I tried to avoid that for like one good month. But when she pushed me, I went and gave the audition. I did that one scene and I forgot about it,” Lehren quoted him as saying.

As luck would have it, Banerjee got the role, as well as fame, post appearing in Pitchers Season 1, but the actor took some time to realise what had transpired: “I think, after Pitchers released, 3-4 months later, I was travelling somewhere down south and an entire bus full of engineering students starting shouting my name ‘Bhati’. I was like ‘Who are these people?’ I had no idea that I was famous. I had no idea that my line was so famous.” And then there was Jitendra Kumar, who has since appeared in the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, and the critically acclaimed web series, Panchayat, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The novelty of not only the story, but of the medium on which the said story was told, along with credible performances by the entire cast ushered in a new era of content watching — take a bow, TVF Pitchers.

TVF Pitchers Season 2 will premiere on ZEE5 on December 23.