Bhumi Pednekkar on her Daldal character at IFFI 2025: 'Power doesn't need to be loud'

Today, November 26, 2025, at a special showcase during the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Prime Video introduced their upcoming series Daldal with an exclusive sneak peek. The fictional series, based on the best-selling novel Bhendi Bazaar by Vish Dhamija, follows DCP Rita Ferreira's intense pursuit of a cold-blooded killer, drawing the audience into Mumbai's complicated moral landscape and compelling her to face her own demons.

Key creative team and cast of Daldal

Daldal was written by Suresh Triveni, Sreekanth Agneeaswaran, Rohan D'Souza, and Priya Saggi and directed by Amrit Raj Gupta. Coming soon to Prime Video, this psychological crime thriller will include Bhumi Satish Pednekkar as DCP Rita Ferreira, Aditya Rawal, and Samara Tijori in the lead roles.

Beyond the Stereotype: Redefining Women and Power in Modern Storytelling was a fireside conversation that followed the in-room teaser peek and discussed the show's psychological depth and its non-stereotypical depiction of female characters. The panel featured series lead Bhumi Satish Pednekkar, Nikhil Madhok (Director & Head of Originals, Prime Video India), and the creative team behind the show. The panel was centred on how Daldal delves deeper than stereotypical portrayals of female police officers to paint a complex picture of a powerful, troubled, sympathetic, and purpose-driven female protagonist.

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Bhumi Pednekkar on portraying complex DCP Rita Ferreira

Pednekar, who plays the tough part of DCP Rita Ferreira, discussed her approach to the character and the hurdles involved. "From the women in my home, I learnt that power doesn't need to be loud. It can be quiet, resilient, and rooted in constantly questioning the world around you. That's something I saw my mother do every day, and something Rita does too. She doesn't say much, but she does a lot. If actions speak louder than words, I don't think there's a character who embodies that more than Rita Ferreira. For the first time, I didn't have dialogues or even expressive eyes to rely on. I had to communicate through the smallest physical cues: how her neck tightens with guilt or how her body responds to anger. It was one of the toughest roles I've ever prepared for, and it took months to come out of it. But it was also deeply satisfying because I was pushed, really pushed, by a team that believed in complexity, in darkness, and in writing anti-hero traits for women. Very few characters like this get written for us."

Triveni, the show's producer and creator, explained the story's decision to centre on criminality and dualism in humans. "When this show first came to me, I had the same hesitation as many others: another crime story, another set of familiar tropes. There are patterns you expect in the genre, and you almost assume you'll fall into them. But what we attempted with Daldal was very different. It's not just a good versus bad narrative, and it's definitely not only about discovering who the killer is. We wanted to go beyond that. We were interested in where it all originates. Because the truth is, there is good and bad in everyone; there's rage in all of us. And that's the space the show tries to explore. Instead of limiting ourselves to a whodunnit, we wanted to ask the deeper question: why do people do what they do?"

Director Amrit Raj Gupta on humanising complex characters

Gupta noted the process of humanising the complex characters: "When I first read the script, I didn't fully understand why Rita is the way she is: her traumas, her past, and how all of that forms her present. Once I understood that, the process became clearer. And of course, when you have an actor like Bhumi who is so collaborative, intuitive, and generous, it becomes a joy. With the support of the producer and creator, things gradually fell into place. One thing we constantly reminded ourselves was this: because these characters are so complex, less is more. We didn't want to overplay anything. We wanted to see them simply as humans: vulnerable, flawed, layered. We didn't want to take sides. We wanted to observe and let the audience decide their own point of view."

Daldal is slated to stream soon, exclusively on Prime Video, introducing a new, deep psychological crime thriller to the platform.

FAQs:

Q: What is Daldal based on?

A: The Prime Video series Daldal is based on the bestselling book Bhendi Bazaar by author Vish Dhamija.

Q: Who stars as DCP Rita Ferreira in the series Daldal?

A: The role of DCP Rita Ferreira, the determined police officer at the centre of the psychological crime thriller, is played by actor Bhumi Satish Pednekkar. The series also stars Aditya Rawal and Samara Tijori in leading roles.

Q: Who created and directed the Prime Video series Daldal?

A: Daldal was created for a series by Suresh Triveni. It is directed by Amrit Raj Gupta. Suresh Triveni also co-wrote the series with Sreekanth Agneeaswaran, Rohan D’Souza, and Priya Saggi.