The Game director Rajesh M Selva: I never interrupt the first takes of artistes

Director Rajesh M Selva, who has already helmed web series Irai, returns to the OTT space once again with The Game. The thriller series is now available to stream on Netflix. The series is written by Deepthi Govindarajan and co-written by Rajesh Selva and Karthik Bala.

Rajesh Selva’s The Game makes some interesting choices, one of them being how, even as the running theme, which is evidently misogyny, does not rub it all over. One of the instances is how the series hints at the looming patriarchy and calls out domestic chores with the Banumathi cop character played by Chandini. Mere phone calls from her husband suffice, in his physical absence, to say how even a cop is considered a woman at the end of the day, wanting to tend her household chores. Or in the case of Shraddha Srinath’s Kavya, who has to navigate a man’s world as a game developer.

Also read: The Game You Never Play Alone series review: Shraddha Srinath series has promising start but fails to level up in world-building

The Game director Rajesh Selva interview:

Speaking about the writing choices, Rajesh says, “Every little aspect like these was intended and kept in mind while writing the back stories of each character. We might explore them later, since this series is about Kavya. But the series’ running theme is patriarchy and misogyny, which is experienced in everyone’s lives. Even Kavya’s mother is an individual and handles her stuff alone, but at the same time, she treats Kavya as a man. In the same way, Banumathi’s character is designed after strong women we see who still go through the same issues. They balance it, but at one point they too lose it. We wrote all this through the subtext of the characters.”

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Rajesh also talks about balancing the gender viewpoints in The Game without going overboard. With the series being about a husband and wife who are both game designers in a company, equally talented but treated differently, the filmmaker gives an example of how he wanted to strike a balance: “There is a scene where husband Anoop offers to come along with Kavya for her safety, but from her side, she does not want to do that. There is concern that comes from his end, but she, too, wants to be independent in her own right. So, in such cases, the performances also reflect it. I never interrupt the first takes, and let them do what they want. It is in the purest form.”

The filmmaker says how all women in the series are strong yet come with their vulnerabilities and fair share of trauma. “That is what makes them real, relatable, and strong.”

The Game out on OTT:

The Game is now streaming on Netflix. Consisting of seven episodes, the thriller series revolves around a game developer couple, with the wife facing online harassment and bullying, which soon transcends to physical danger. The series talks about themes of bullying, online harassment, cheating, and gender politics at the workplace.

FAQs

Q. Who are part of The Game: You Never Play Alone cast?

A. Actors Shraddha Srinath, Santhosh Prathap, Chandhini, and Syama Harini are part of The Game: You Never Play Alone.

Q. What is The Game: You Never Play Alone release date?

A. The Game: You Never Play Alone released on Netflix on October 2.