Exclusive! Bestseller makers say Gauahar Khan was the first actor to be approached and cast on the show

The upcoming thriller Bestseller has been the talk of the town ever since the release of its trailer as it shares glimpses of what looks like a gripping story with a perfect blend of suspense and drama. The series stars Mithun Chakraborty, Shruti Haasan, Arjan Bajwa, Gauhar Khan, Satyajeet Dubey and Sonalee Kulkarni. It is directed by Mukul Abhyankar and produced by Siddharth Malhotra under the banner of Alchemy Production LLP. The series, which is inspired by Ravi Subramanian's book The Bestseller That She Wrote, will release on Amazon Prime Video on February 18.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, the producer Malhotra and director Abhyankar talk about the show, casting Mithun Da and other actors, the difference between the book and the series, and more. Excerpts:

I believe the show is inspired by the book, The Bestseller That She Wrote. So, could you tell us what was it about the story that fascinated you so much that you decided to make a show out of it?

Siddharth: I think about three years ago, before the book was being published, Ravi Subramanian and I met, after the release of my film Hichki, which I directed. We were talking about if there is something that we can make into a feature. So he sent me his manuscript of the book. I read usually a slow reader but I read this overnight. I couldn't put it down. So I read over 300 pages and visualised it all. While trying to do the film graph, we realised that the characters will not have enough justification. We felt we should add our own ethos and plot points. So the soul of the book remains the same but there's a radical difference between the series and the book. I can say that the series is 80% different from the book. Nothing of the book is there in the series. The backbone is the book but the series is created by the writers because we have added newer plots, characters and a lot of other things. So my request would be to all the people who are expecting the book, don't expect the book, expect the soul of the book, and expect a very thrilling and entertaining series, which will compel you to pay to watch.

Mukul, would you like to add something and tell us more about the show as well?

The other day, I got a pleasant surprise when the trailer got released. I think one of the journalists wrote, 'Hey, this looks very different than the book'. So I was so happy that there was a journalist who had read the book. And then he saw the trailer and realised that there are many different characters. When I got the draft of the script, I remember even asking Siddharth if I should read the book first. He told me there is no need to read the book. He asked me to just read the script and let him know what I feel about it. It was an overwhelming experience for me.

So have you read the book now that the filming is over and it is nearing its release?

Mukul: I haven't. It's my confession. But I'll be reading it now so I know exactly how different have we made the show.

Why did you decide to create a series and not a film?

Siddharth: I actually physically wrote the screenplay of the film. And then I realised that this could be a lovely film, but it won't give justification to the characters. Our team of writers has built on the story and added a lot of characters, plot twists and turns. I think what we've finally achieved is something far more satisfying because we're dealing with about eight episodes of content, with each episode of about 30 to 40 minutes.

Why did you decide to have Mr. Mukul as the director for the series when you could have also helmed the project yourself?

Siddharth: I have directed films like Hichki and I'm under contract with YRF. Also, if I were allowed to direct, I would not have chosen to direct it. Mukul and I have worked for 20 years. We know each other very well. I'm a huge fan of his film, Missing. I think he did a great job in Missing with Tabu and Manoj Bajpayee and I can't create that. I'm not qualified as a maker to do what he does. I'm very good at emotional films. So, give me that and I'll do it. This is a psychological thriller. But I've been there in every way to create support and be his backbone and to give him the wings to fly as a producer. I wanted his vision for this story and so did everybody at Amazon. I just hoped he says a yes. And he did.

Mukul, I believe this is your first OTT series as a director as well. Did you have to bring in any changes in your process to create the story for this particular format?

Mukul: This could be an OTT debut. But the first experiment of the web series format happened way back in 2009 when there were no OTT platforms. That was the time when Siddharth and I worked on a show called Director Special. It was conceptualised and produced by him. I wrote and directed the show. It was exactly web series format. We had 12 episodes of 45 minutes each. And it was a very tricky partnership that we shared. I was shooting in Himachal and he was in Mumbai. So, whatever I was sending to Siddharth, he was editing them and I could only see my final product on screen. And it came out to be exactly the way I had perceived it. And since then, I've been writing a lot. Of course, I did films, but the writing for the web series was continuously on. I also knew the challenges that web series offers. But when you read the scripts, you know that half of those challenges are already taken care of.

How do you go about the casting? Did you always have Shruti and Arjan in your minds as headliners for the series?

Siddharth: We always didn't have Shruti or Arjan in mind. We had a bunch of people in mind. Luckily, we approached one person and it didn't work out. And then, when we were thinking of who do we approach next, we thought of Shruti. I've always liked her work and we gave it a shot. According to me, she's a director's actor. She's very smart and intelligent. She understands lights and all about the process. She's very professional too. She comes, does her job and goes back, reads her book. She doesn't stay back and chat on the set. Mukul and I went and met her and we decided that this character needs diction. She got a dialect coach. She belongs to a certain place and the dialect is different. You can see that in the trailer as well.

Today, we have a special bond. One thing I've learned from Rani is that content and making stories happen but what we look back are the relationships and the memories that you had during and after the shooting. So, we are in touch with each other.

We were thinking of a smaller cast. We thought of then Mithun da. We checked with him, thinking 'na sunne mein kya burai hai'. I knew he won't say No. It is a very good script and role. I am an industry kid and my family knows him. So I got in touch with him and he genuinely loved the script. Mukul and he share a great equation. It was a no-brainer. Gauahar Khan was the first person we approached for the series. We didn't think of anyone else and as the script kept coming in, we kept sending it to her. She was in when she read the first episode only. And the others, of course, we had a process. For Satya, we tested about 170, 180 people. We then found an audition that Kavish had sent us. We found our Parth that way. Amazon had come up with the idea of Arjan. I was in touch with Arjan on and off and he was looking for something that puts him out there. Gradually, all came on board. Mukul wanted Sonalee but Amazon asked if she would come on board since she is such a big actor. Mukul said we have to get her. He believed in her and so we decided to give it a try. We gave her the script and she called my wife Sapna, who is also a producer on the show. She said yes. I think the universe plays a part and gets all people together, I have always believed. If energy is good, it will show on screen and if it is bad, it will too show on the screen. The camera catches everything.

This show also marks the OTT debut of actors like Mr. Mithun Chakraborty and Sonalee Kulkarni. So did you have a different process to first introduce them to the medium and the format? What was it like?

Siddharth: No, they're actors. They could be doing a film for OTT or a feature film. You give them a role and a director who knows exactly how to guide them and they are yours.

Mukul: Just to add a line here. Mithun Da never spoke about Bestseller as a web series. He always asked, "Apna film kab aane wala hai?" Everything is a film for him. He used to say that is also a six-hour-long film for me. I'm acting, so what is so different about that?

Siddharth: For him, it is never a debut. It is a story and he's like I want to be a part of it. He has done over 370 films.

How was it like working with him on the sets? What was the energy like?

Mukul: Dada is 70 and he still remembers his lines extremely well. Even today, while doing his makeup, he makes his assistant read the lines once and then, he starts responding. So that one thing was absolutely amazing. Mithun Da, never lets anybody feel that he is a big legend. He speaks some five to six languages fluently, including Telugu. He speaks to different people on the set, even technicians, in their own languages. And the most important thing, that I loved about Dada and Shruti, they both stood to give cues even when they were not in the frame. Those are the signs of really legendary actors. So thankful to all my six stars who did that.

In the trailer, we also get to see a lot of locations. I believe the show was shot over about six months in these locations and that too, during the pandemic. So how did you pull that off?

Mukul: Siddarth was doing other projects consecutively. So, we both collectively have done about 80 RTPCR tests. Secondly, I challenge that there is no other show that has shot during the pandemic in 18 different locations. We don't have a single set, they're all real live locations. We shot in four different states - Banaras in UP, Neemrana in Rajasthan, Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, 9,000 feet above sea level for the first time and Mumbai in Maharashtra when everyone was entering into a lockdown due to the second wave of the pandemic. It was very difficult. Overnight, the timings used to change. The 7 o'clock shift became mandatory and night shots had to be shot during the day sometimes. Along with Sid, I have to mention one very key person and that is the co-producer, Mr Raj Mehta. He was the father figure on the set. He is Siddharth's mama. So we also consider him as an uncle. I've never experienced somebody being on the set and taking care of us day and night. It suddenly changes the whole atmosphere of the set. We always had somebody looking after us and that too, during the peak of the pandemic. It was a very challenging shoot and that's why I think it became so endearing.

OTT is often described as a game-changer, especially for new actors and filmmakers. So, could you two share a piece of advice that you'd like to give to the budding filmmakers?

Siddharth: The only advice I will give to any budding filmmakers is don't fall for the formula. Be honest about what you want to say. OTT is letting you be original. Trying and duplicating somebody else's work, figuring out what sells and works may work today but not tomorrow or the day after. So go with your own individuality. Because that's what you know best and that will help you shine. That may be for an actor or a technician. If you are good at your job, you will get noticed. It's giving you that platform. But if you're going to try and do a version of some other actor or maker, then you will say that the original maker is available, why not go to him?

Mukul: As he rightly said, everything that clicks usually has something very unique about it, it has nothing to do with the formula. So just try that unique side within you and pursue that. That's the formula to crack the web. And that's the formula that everybody wants to see - the unseen and the unheard.