Exclusive! Human co-director Mozez Singh: There's going to be season two with the same actors

Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari's latest outing, Human has caught the attention of many for many deserving reasons. The actors’ powerful performances and the complex narrative have only left viewers intrigued and wanting more.

The Hotstar original is directed by the duo of Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Mozez Singh. Now, basking in the success of Human, Singh spoke at length about the response the show has received. He also spoke about how he shot the kissing sequence between the two lead actors.

Excerpts:

What do you have to say about the response you have been receiving for Human?

The response has been amazing, just tremendous. People are loving the show. I'm very overwhelmed and very humbled. We are all very happy with how it's turning out. The whole team is very happy with how it's turning out.

You created this complex world with Human. How challenging was it to write the show as well as direct it?

It was as challenging as writing anything else. I mean, it wasn't like it was more challenging than any other writing that I've done. Of course, it is a challenging and complex show, but I had an incredible writing room with me. I had incredible writers with me who worked with me on this project, and each of them was up for it. I had a very supportive producer who was constantly backing us and our vision. With all of their support, we just managed to do it, and it was just great. Even when we were directing it, our production backbone was so strong that we directed it during a very difficult time, which was COVID-19. There are so many outdoor locations in the show, and we were shooting in so many crowded places. All precautions were taken; everything was taken well. So there were challenges. Yes, it was not the easiest time to write it or direct it because we wrote it all in 2020, which was a very difficult year for everybody. But because of the support that we had from the writers' team and the production team, it was just... I don't know. I have to say that I have only fond memories of the whole project. I don't think I've ever thought badly about anything that happened just because there was so much support.

The show was released when COVID-19 cases just burst out in the country. Were you apprehensive about the release of the show, or did you consider postponing it?

This was a decision taken by Disney+ Hotstar that they wanted to release at this time, and these decisions are not taken at the last minute. They have things like marketing and release plans that have been in place for quite a few months. So we were always working toward this date. The fact that this third wave has come and everything has become so crazy was something that just happened, so we decided to go ahead with it. I mean, when is a good time? You can't even predict anything anymore; everything keeps changing all the time. So we just said, you know what, if it's not now, then when and decided to stick with the now and just go for it.

You co-directed the series with Vipul Amrutlal Shah. How did you both decide on who would be directing which sequences and how did you remain on the same page?

The thing is, we wrote the script, and he connected to the script as a filmmaker. It was a very smooth process, and there were no issues at all. We spent so much time in preproduction. We were so well prepared that we did five episodes each, and it was very seamless. He would do his scenes, and then he would leave, and I would come into my scenes, and then I would leave. It was very seamless. The actors, I don't think, had any discomfort at all; everyone was just in the flow. I have to say that he is, of course, much more senior to me and has done a lot more work than I have done, but full power to him for being able to adapt to this kind of method and being able to bring his best game to the thing. Some of the work that he's done in this show is incredible. There was no stress between the two directors at all; we were on the same page all the time. We believed in the script, and because we had prepared so much in pre-production by the time we came to shoot, we were just raring to go. I'm not just saying it to sound good. We are very excited to work with each other for season two. Let me put it that way.

Is there a second season planned for Human?

There is going to be a season two. We are talking about it. We are discussing it, and it's too early to say anything about it right now. But yes, there is a very interesting idea that we have, and that's all I can say right now with the same actors and everything.

One of the surprising elements of Human is an intimate sequence between Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari. The latter plays a queer character in the series, so how did you sensitively crack the whole scene?

It was really weird because I directed that episode and I wrote it. It came very naturally to me to write it because I'm from the LGBTQ space and I'm very comfortable with who I am. So I just wrote it and then we started to film it. Just before we started to film it, I was the one who got nervous. I was like, "Okay, guys, we're shooting this. If you're uncomfortable, if there's any discomfort, tell me. " Both the actors just looked at me and just said, "Will you please get on with it? We are both absolutely fine. They were the more chilled-out ones. I was not chilled out at all. I was a bit stressed because I was like, "Oh god, what's going to happen?" Then, as you shoot any scene, you have to do many takes of it because you have different angles. So it wasn't just one, it was eight or nine different takes, and they were thorough professionals the whole time. They would shoot the kissing scene and I would say "cut". Everybody would just laugh and crack up. It was really funny, and they were super chilled out. I became chilled out by the third take, and I was like, "Okay, fine. I don't know why I'm stressing out. " It was a very fun and easy scene to shoot. I remember we were shooting it at four or five in the morning as it was a nite shoot and it was like one big party. We were having a blast. It was really fun. They were troopers. Both the actors were just so comfortable with it.

Coming to the OTT space, what's your take on the long-drawn censorship debate?

There are limits, and I disagree with the fact that there should be no censorship at all. I disagree with the fact that people should start restricting stuff on OTT. People need to be able to censor themselves. The thing is, we, as storytellers, sometimes want to tell crazy and provocative stories. To dampen that and to stop us from doing that is unfair. So I don't believe that there should be all this censorship. But people should not go beyond the point of what that point is. You can't just restrict everything because something is so crazy. There has to be a level, there have to be certain guidelines and all kinds of things. You can't just say "okay," because nothing can work and it doesn't work like that.

What do you have to say about the OTT boom in India over the past couple of years?

It's such an amazing time to be making content, to be a storyteller, a filmmaker, and a writer. So many out of the box, interesting, original, unique ideas are being accepted and being lapped up by the platforms. Everyone is exposed to everything that is the kind of stuff that people want to see now. There are no limitations on the kinds of stories that one can tell.

If I could ask you to go back to the time when you narrated the scripts to Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari, what were their first reactions?

To be honest with you, they loved it from the moment they saw it. They loved the script, and the reason why they've done this project is because of it. Shefali is the producer's wife, but that has nothing to do with her doing the project. She read the script, she loved it, and she said yes to it, and so did Kirti. They were both into the project because they loved the characters, the complexities, and the layers that we wrote for them. It just happened because of the script, and there was no other reason for it.

How long did it take for you to create this story, from research and writing to execution?

In February of 2019, Vipul Sir called me to his office. He had seen my film Zubaan and he liked it. He wanted to do something, and he offered me a script, which was a feature film script, two hours long, centred on the world of human drug trials. I told him that I'd read it and get back to him. So I read the script and was very intrigued by the whole world of human drug trials. I come from a pharma background, from the Ranbaxy family. So, I've always had the world of pharma in the background of my life, right. I told him the script didn't work for me, but I'm very intrigued by the whole human drug trial thing. I would like to go ahead and develop a whole new story around this idea. Then I started thinking of what you see in the show Human. I started thinking about this LGBTQ character and more. Then I got in touch with my frequent collaborator, Ishani Bannerjee, who's an incredible writer. We started to build, and she loved the whole thing. We developed it for three to four months, and then we presented this entire world to Vipul Sir. He loved it, then Hotstar loved it, and then they greenlit the show. We started a writers' room, where we roped in more writers, and over eight or nine months, we just hammered it out. We developed the whole show. I went and wrote the final episodes.

ALSO READ - Human review: Shefali Shah's demonic performance, Kirti Kulhari's subtlety stand out in this exhausting series

All episodes of Human are now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.