Controversies happen only when you want to create one: Maharani 3 director Saurabh Bhave

Excerpts from the interview:

You had the responsibility of taking the narrative forward while also leaving your own impression. How did you maintain this balance?

The writers of the show have been the same. The entire tonality of the show was never compromised. We were given a free hand, thanks to Subhash Kapoor sir (creator of the show), to make it visually more interesting. In this narrative of conflicting worlds of Rani and Naveen, we had like two teams and we could treat them differently. For instance, when Rani was in jail she would wear a lot of grey and black, even her background was of the same shades. However, when she started turning tables, we added more colour to her world. Naveen wears warmer colours because he enjoys being the chief minister. So, when they come together, you will get a sense of both these worlds.

Huma’s Rani is full of contradictions. She was shown as a righteous figure in the beginning but as the show progresses we see her turn into a more gray character. What are your thoughts? 

That was the point. We didn’t want to make her very ideal because that’s not the reality. Power eventually corrupts and when you are in a position of power, you tend to do things that you otherwise wouldn’t have done. If a character is contradicting his/her values that gives it an edge and makes it more real. The audience can relate to her because they don’t think of her as a godly figure. In the path of revenge, you don’t question yourself. If you question, you won’t be able to do what you have to do. Her last scene with Bheema actually sums it up. So naturally, it was important to turn her into this gray character.

But Rani sympathises with the other women in the show even though they have wronged her. Why?

She sympathises with Kriti Singh because she knows that Kirti was tricked and made to conspire against Bheema. So, essentially Rani is on the same path as Kriti and which is why she understands her better now. However, she wants her to pay for killing Bheema and Kriti goes to jail also but as a government witness. Since Rani knew that it is difficult to send a sitting CM to jail, she took Kriti’s help and did things that weren’t probably right. Also, I think contradictions make a character very interesting. Contradiction is a very fascinating psychological concept that we see in almost every human.

Rabri Devi, Jayalalitha and Indira Gandhi, we see references from lives of some of the leading female politicians of our country in Maharani. Was this deliberately done?  

These aren’t very conscious decisions because you have to eventually follow the story. Frankly, in the process of writing you try to thrust a lot of things on your character. You know something and you want your character to behave and act in a certain way, which might reflect reality or you purposefully wanted it that way. But when you sit at the drawing board you have to realise that the character has its own journey, so you can’t force something on it that is unrelatable. Also, artists don’t work in isolation, their experiences and the reality they live will be reflected in their work and this doesn’t only hold true for political stories.

Does a fictional setting provides a safety net to talk about real-life issues in shows like Maharani?

This is strictly my belief – I believe that controversies happen only when you want to create one. Those things are written in a certain manner to create a controversy. It is completely in the hands of the makers, not always but most of the time. Because they are written with the particular lens of politics and ideology, which is bound to create controversy. Your political views can be asserted without being very direct and trying to create controversy and it is very much possible.

What’s the character you enjoy the most in Maharani?

I think throughout the series, even as an audience, I love Gauri Shankar Pandey’s character. Vineet Kumar, who plays the role, is 70 years old but he is so professional. I was concerned for him when we had to shoot in the rain and I also asked him if we should move the set because I didn’t want him to fall ill. But he told me, ‘Why do you want to shift? It is looking so beautiful, I don’t mind.’ It was fantastic to work with him. All the characters, the ensemble works so well in this show.

How was it working with Huma?

It was great working with Huma, I was the new entry to the team. These guys have been together since Season 1. They know each other’s rhythms and their tonality is set. But they were so good to me and my DOP, we were two new guys on the show and it didn’t feel like we are new to this world. It was lovely working with them.

Especially about Huma, I want to say that in her last few projects, between Monica O My Darling and Maharani, she had covered the entire spectrum of Navarasas. There is no emotional depth and genre that she hasn’t ventured into. We would be talking about random things while shooting, but the moment she would stand in front of the camera, she would suddenly switch to a Bihari accent with all the mannerisms right in place. It’s just great.