Exclusive! Darbuka Siva: I don't believe in taking the liberty of uncensoring in OTT content

Actor-turned-composer Darbuka Siva made his directorial debut with Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee which released on Zee5 a few days ago. The coming-of-age campus drama, which starred a bunch of newbies, opened to good reviews from critics and the audience. 

In a chat with OTTplay, Siva opened up about the things he kept in mind while working on its script. He also spoke about filmmakers taking liberty of uncensoring on OTT platforms.

He says, "Though this was billed as a campus drama which intended to touch upon the lives of a few teen students from the beginning, I didn't want the movie to be a completely fun-filled one. I was particular about the story offering an emotional roller-coaster ride to the viewers.". 

Siva adds that he was keen on striking a balance between fun and intense emotions to cater to all sections of audiences. "I'm sure most of us would be familiar with the characterizations of an introvert girl, a boy who suffers from OCD, the popular guy or girl in the class, and so on. Most of the viewers are likely to connect with these characters," he says.  

On whether he has taken the advantage of uncensoring in OTT content, Siva says that he believes in incorporating a dialogue or a scene in a film only if the situation demands it. He explains, "I don't believe in using cuss words generously just because you have the liberty of using it on OTT platforms. The way a sequence is conceived should be organic. Be it a dialogue or an action, the scene should demand it."

He adds, "Our story is set in the 90s, and our focus was to recreate that time period, and how characters behaved and conversed in that era."