Bambai Meri Jaan creator Shujaat Saudagar on the abundance of content on OTT platforms causing the quality to decline: I do think so… | Exclusive

On September 14, Bambai Meri Jaan was released on Amazon Prime Video. Shujaat Saudagar and Rensil D'Silva collaborated on the 10-part crime drama series. The protagonists of the show are a gangster Dara, played by Avinash Tiwary and his honorable police officer father Ismail Kadri, played by Kay Kay Menon. The show also stars Nivedita Bhattacharya and Kritika Kamra in pivotal roles. 

Shujaat Saudagar recently shared interesting details about the show, including how the cast was assembled, shed light on the plot, and discussed how the growing availability of OTT content is lowering the quality of content. 

Also read: Bambai Meri Jaan review: Avinash Tiwary's gangster drama is like an old wine in a new bottle but Kay Kay Menon steals the show

Talking about the cast of the film, the director said: "To begin with, I didn’t know other actor's work besides KK and Nivedita. I didn’t know if they were all brilliant actors because unfortunately I have not seen anyone's work. Although, of course Avinash and Kritika have really pathbreaking things going in their career, unfortunately I have not seen any of that. Avinash auditioned for this way back in time and of course this series has been in the making for a very long time and I saw his audition in there was something really special about it. Having said that I flirted around for eight months with other actors but I always kept on going back to his audition and to date I can’t put a finger to what it was. But there was something in it."

When asked if he was concerned that the audience could overlook this because of the well-known subject, the gangster drama, he responded: "More than the gansgter backdrop, the emotional core of this narrative lies in the family drama of it. It’s the story of one family and the trails and tribulations that they go through. About a wife and a husband and their decisions and the repercussions of that which are owned by the family at large. So on a micro level it’s the story of a family and a city coming to terms post Independence. So not kind of scared by excited."

Further talking about the growing availability of OTT content is lowering the quality of content, when asked if he thinks this is the case, Shujaat said: "I do think so. I think it is a very personal thing. The business aspect of it plays out across mediums so yes it depends on what intent with which creators and filmmakers and actors are coming together. It varies from medium to medium, we see bad films, we see good films. Likewise, with every medium of filmmaking and every platform where series of piece of content is showcased, it all depends on what is the personal intent and integrity of the people who want to put themselves out there and what do they want their names to be attached with."

Also read: Bambai Meri Jaan's Avinash Tiwary on his experience sharing the screen space with Kay Kay Menon: I met him like a fanboy | Exclusive