ITV

Tag: Avrodh

  • Juggernaut Productions’ Samar Khan shares his untold experience in making Avrodh: The Siege Within

    Juggernaut Productions’ Samar Khan shares his untold experience in making Avrodh: The Siege Within

    Director and producer Samar Khan, who is known for his critically acclaimed war drama film Shaurya, is now busy creating stories for streaming platforms. Almost one-and-a-half years after Vicky Kaushal's Uri: The Surgical Strike, SonyLiv has come up with a series named Avrodh: The Siege Within.

    Based on a book written by Shiv and Rahul, Avrodh showcases what exactly happened during the 2016 surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The former journalist is passionate about creating stories for armed forces as most of his work like Regiment Diaries on Epic channel, The Test Case, or the AltBalaji-ZEE5 series Code M revolves around the same subject.

    In a special discussion with IN10 Media Network's production arm Juggernaut Productions chief operating officer (OTT) Samar Khan  gives more insights on the show.

    Edited Excerpts:

    Avrodh is based on Shiv and Rahul’s book. So, how did you conceptualised the show? 

    I have always been intrigued by stories of armed forces. Before Avrodh I have made Shaurya and Test Case. I picked up Rahul and Shiv Aroor’s book and was taken aback after reading the first chapter. I also spoke to the authors and realised that they were also very interested in making its OTT version. We all felt that the book deserved to be made in a series rather than a film. Post this, I immediately approached Applause Entertainment’s Sameer Nair with the idea, and he was equally convinced about it. So that is how we went ahead with this concept.

    It looks more like a quasi-documentary style of a contemporary action film. So, do you think it would have been better if it was a documentary than a series?

    No, not at all because the concept is more dramatic in its storytelling. It is now a show that can be made in a documentary style. We always believed that the dramatic storytelling format would be the best way. I don’t think anyone was confused about the route we wanted to take. I think a series would do justice to it. The documentary is a different part of storytelling. I am not saying that it would not have been effective for this show. It is just that we have picked another way of storytelling. There are already many.

    Were you scared that people would take it as a jingoistic show? How have you maintained the line between jingoism and patriotism?

    We were proud of our story, and we wanted to show the story in the way it has happened. We were clear about telling a story of bravery, and we wanted to show it as humanely as possible. I come from NDA background and have friends in forces with whom I interact on a regular basis, so I know the way they think and operate. Our entire team had just one single aim of creating a human story. In my opinion, the show doesn’t have any jingoism elements.

    Where did you shot the story?

    Initially, the plan was to make a 10 episode series, and we had the goal to expand the world of the book. The book talks about the surgical strike, so we picked up the story even before the Uri attacks happened then later in the show, we showcased Uri attacks and then the ten days that led to the surgical strike. So initially, we thought to name the series as ‘10 Days’. We researched about what political establishments were doing and how the planning was done. The actual scripting process took eight to nine months. It was important for us to stay true to the story, but we did take some cinematographic liberties. One of the most crucial things I and Applause Entertainment decided to do was to bring the director of Neerja movie Raj Acharya. That was one of the best decisions we took. So, later on, we brought the team on-board, then the casting process happened. Amit Sadh was our first choice because we share a similar thought when it comes to the army. We brought on board some of the esteemed names from the film industry like Neeraj Kabi, Darshan, Anant Mahadevan, and Vikram Gokhale.

    We also received great help from the Indian army as they provided us with the locations, places to shoot, and equipment. We submitted the entire script to them for approval. They were also part of storytelling. We found locations in Bhadarwa, located in Jammu, and then we shot in Mumbai and some parts of Delhi. We spent a lot of time in talent scouting for junior artists and other actors. We did army training with them, taught them how to hold a gun, and how to walk, talk, and salute like army men. We had an ex-army man as a trainer who helped us in designing the look for the boys. It was important for us to maintain the authenticity and real look of the show. We fabricated and made guns like the real ones. But the Bofors, trucks, Jeeps are from the army.

    The music perfectly magnifies the chaos of war in the series. Can you elaborate more on this?

    A lot of credit for music goes to Deepak Sehgal and Priya Jhavar from Applause Entertainment. I think between Raj Acharya, Sehgal, and Jhavar the background music got reworked several times. Nirmal Pandya also kept on innovating with different tools and instruments. We didn't want the background music to look more like jingoistic or patriotic.

    Also, in the commercial cinema, audiences are served with a bouquet of things which included crime, romance, drama, and thriller. Do you think streaming platforms have changed this scenario?

    We are now able to tell stories in a more defined and chiseled way. I think we don't need to unnecessarily fill up the story with everything. Apart from streaming giants, I would also like to give credit to audiences. I believe it is not important to have everything in one story. It is fantastic that audiences have also evolved; they can enjoy things without fitting everything into one.

  • Applause Entertainment partners with Wattpad to promote ‘Avrodh’

    Applause Entertainment partners with Wattpad to promote ‘Avrodh’

    MUMBAI: In a novel move to connect with Gen Z and millennial audiences, Applause Entertainment has partnered with Wattpad, the global entertainment company and a storytelling platform, to promote the recently released war thriller, Avrodh.

    The campaign saw Applause Entertainment connect with Wattpad’s massive, engaged community of Gen Z and millennial readers and writers, inviting them to share their stories and poems that explore the Independence Day themes of my patriotism or meri deshbhakti. Inspired by Applause Entertainment’s hit series Avrodh, the campaign caters to Gen Z and Millenials who are keen to rediscover and reimagine patriotism with a renewed outlook.

    Through August, the campaign will select the most unique tales submitted by the Wattpad community, to be used in other promotional channels for Avrodh. Stories will be turned into compelling graphics for social media to reach a wider audience both on and off of Wattpad. Applause Entertainment shared their favourite stories and poetry to promote the show to their target audience on social media on 15  August 2020, each of which received exciting cash prizes.

    The campaign has already generated significant results for Applause Entertainment, with thousands of entries that have generated tens of thousands of reading minutes in less than a week since launch on Wattpad. Cross-platform promotion to Wattpad’s massive audience of Gen Z readers continued over the Independence Day weekend.

    Applause Entertainment head of marketing and revenue Yogesh Manwani said, “With the increased online activity in India, it is very difficult for a brand to have a genuine interaction with its target audience at scale, especially if it's a younger demographic. Wattpad stood out in that aspect as it allowed for a direct connection to millions of Indian Gen Z & Millennial users who love to create and engage with stories around our show’s messaging. We are amazed by the overwhelming response by our target audience and look forward to sustain the momentum on social channels.”

    Wattpad India country head Devashish Sharma said, “Wattpad offers something truly unique for brands through its massive global community that spends billions of minutes each month deeply engaged in reading, writing, and sharing world-changing stories. Our work with Applause Entertainment went beyond the ordinary fan engagement. We are creating authentic content, curated from the show’s target audience, to promote the show among Gen Z and millennials. The campaign does not just tap into audience excitement, it makes the target audience genuine collaborators. That’s the power of storytelling and Wattpad.”

    Wattpad is one of the world’s leading destinations for diverse Gen Z and Millennial creators to share their voice. Each month, more than four million writers of all ages share stories on Wattpad, inspiring and engaging with Wattpad’s global community of more than 80 million people.

  • “We are expanding our genres & focussing on chiselled storytelling”: Juggernaut Productions’ Samar Khan

    “We are expanding our genres & focussing on chiselled storytelling”: Juggernaut Productions’ Samar Khan

    MUMBAI: Director and producer Samar Khan, who is known for his critically acclaimed war drama film Shaurya, is now weaving stories for digital platforms. Khan has now donned the hat of a creative producer for Avrodh on SonyLiv.

    Avrodh revolves around a surgical strike based on the 2016 Uri attack, depicting historical events as they occurred in real. The series was launched on 31 July. The former journalist has a keen interest in creating stories for armed forces. Most of his recent or past work like Regiment Diaries on Epic channel, The Test Case or the AltBalaji-ZEE5 series Code M is around the same subject.

    Juggernaut Productions chief operating officer OTT business Samar Khan says that for a show like Avrodh, it’s important to find likeminded people. According to him, the producer is not someone who just funds the project; he is also the creative producer who is involved in every step of story production. The job of the creative producer is to pick the right talent, cast, director, storytellers and look after the story development.

    Avrodh is based on a chapter in a book written by Shiv and Rahul. It is also inspired by the quotes of Major Mike Tango. The word is a pseudonym for the paramilitary officer who helmed the overall operation. The team at Juggernaut Productions also spoke to people who are aware of military procedures. As the show is on a very sensitive topic and to avoid any misrepresentations the makers, directly and indirectly, reached out to people who were involved in the event. It took eight months of research.

    Khan, who is ecstatic to work as a creative producer, gives a lot of credit to Applause Entertainment for bringing out this story. He also hints at creating similar stories soon. The idea behind collaborating with Applause Entertainment is to co-develop shows. Both the studios are currently developing and producing two shows. Khan is looking forward to creating original IPs and premium original content with Applause Entertainment.

    He says that audiences in today’s time are aware of what they are watching. He says, “Audiences don’t need to be served a buffet anymore. I think the popular commercial cinema always tried to serve a buffet where there was a little bit of humour, romance and drama.  But what OTT platforms have done is to focus on one. This chiselled storytelling is truer to what we really want to say and this is the true learning experience for me. For the past four to five shows and even going forward, we are trying to stay true to the promise of the show and not deviate.”

    He is also aware that the company has an image of creating only legal dramas but that’s going to change. “We want to be known as a company that does broad-based content development. We are looking at developing stories across genres,” he shares.  

    Due to the pandemic, there is a boost in the viewership on OTT platforms and with normalcy returning, Khan’s immediate focus is to start shooting. He says, “We utilised the past four months of lockdown to develop a slate of shows that we will be collaborating or pitching to platforms. We have a huge bank of stories that we have developed in this time period. The plan is to make and tell as many stories as possible.”

    Juggernaut Productions recently acquired the screen adaptation rights to Jay Alani and Neil D’Silva’s book “Haunted” but is stuck at the initial stage due to Covid2019. The company is open to any international collaboration too in difference genres, formats and stories that can be adapted to the needs of Indian audiences. For now, the focus is on Hindi content but Juggernaut is planning on acquiring regional content too.