Exclusive! Anurag Basu and his wife had approached me for Mukhbir with Mission to Pakistan’s novel initially: Director Shivam Nair

Mukhbir: The Story of a Spy has resonated with many. The show, which released on Zee5, is still a hit on OTT. The director of the series Shivam Nair has now revealed that Anurag Basu and his wife Tani Basu had originally approached him. He revealed that they shared the book – Mission To Pakistan – which is where the idea germinated.

“I was initially approached by Anurag Basu and his wife Tani Basu who shared the book - Mission to Pakistan with me. I read the book and liked the milieu and the period in which the story was set. But what was even more exciting to me was slightly less explored genre called historical fiction in India,” Shivam told OTTplay.

The director was intrigued with the story of the fictional character in the book. While the events were real, it was the story of this character that caught his interest. Of course, the rest is history with Zain Khan Durrani gaining popularity as Harfan.

Shivam also recalled how staying true to the story was extremely important and thus, there was a lot of focus on the details. “The real prep in a series like this is to get every aspect of the story, true and authentic. And that’s where attention to detailing across all departments ensures that one takes the viewer into a world that he has just imagined but never ever seen. So that it took a huge amount of careful planning to immense effort in getting the right HODs that would make this world truly live,” he recalled.

The prep for Mukhbir took two long years. The director paid close attention to even the smallest aspects that made the show what it is. Right from production design to art, costume, lighting, hair and make-up and the lensing, every aspect of filmmaking was the focus while making the show.

Mukhbir: The Story of a Spy released on Zee5 on November 11. The show, also starring Barkha Bisht, Zoya Afroz, Prakash Raj and Harsh Chhaya, has gained immense popularity since its release.