Hansal Mehta is the showrunner for Disney+Hotstar's latest show Lootere, that's directed by his son Jai Mehta. The show revolves around the people in an Indian ship that gets attacked by Somalian pirates.
The Quint spoke to Hansal about the challenges he faced while shooting for Lootere, his casting process, the responsibility of filmmakers when they narrate real-life stories, why it's important to tell good stories irrespective of one's political leanings, and more.
Narrating an incident about how Gagan Dev Riar was cast for Scam 2003 Hansal said, "Not many know that Gagan was also being auditioned for Lootere for Vivek Gomber's part. Gagan and Vivek have done theatre together. We were also casting for Scam 2003 around that time, and Mukesh Chhabra said Gagan is a better fit as Telgi."
With elections round the corner, we are seeing films that propagate a certain ideology. When asked about the intent of filmmakers Hansal replied, "I feel that if I am opposed to something then I have the right to oppose it as much as somebody else has the right to disagree with my way of thinking. In a democracy we are allowed to tell whatever tales we want to narrate. I tell everyone that whatever side you want to take, just make a good film. Don't sacrifice storytelling in the name of propagating ideologies."
Watch the interview for more.
Editor: Arnab Chakravorty
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