Manoj Bajpai & Raj-DK On Doing A Web Series Together

Manoj Bajpai is caught in web, though not  of his own making. Raj & DK riding  high on the success of the horror-comedy Stree which the duo has produced and  written , the co-directors have taken off to  Ladakh to shoot their web series entitled The Family Man about    an Intelligence agent  trying to balance  out his official duties with his family obligations.

 Quite  like Manoj Bajpai  himself trying to balance out the Gali Guleiyan kind of niche  films with mass entertainers likeSatyamave Jayate.

Manoj says he has no quibbles with his career. But  he is unhappy about the lack of outlets for serious cinema. “We had  to fight  tooth and nail for  theatres  , screen and show timings  for Gali Guleiyan.I am  frustrated by the  obsession with mass entertainment  among our cinema exhibitors. We need to understand  that New India  has a brand new cinema-viewing audience.  Every kind of film is welcome.  This is  why Stree has succeeded alongside Satymeva Jayate.”

One major reason why Manoj has elected  to do a web series at this juncture  is  the reach. “The  audience for a web series is staggering. For the same films of mine that were closed down in theaters even before they got a chance to be seen I’ve audiences on the internet  coming up to tell me how  much they like the  film.”

Manoj chose The Family Man as his web debut for its relevance. “It is about an unsung hero, someone who constantly jeopardizes  his life for the country at the cost of his  family life. I did it because I loved the  script.Also, I’ve been meaning to work with Raj and DK  for  some time now. I’ve seen Goa Goan Gone.I liked  its fresh energy and the  directors’ appetite  for the edgy and  wacky.”

Manoj says Raj and DK have played  it straight in The Family Man.

Raj Nidimoru  took time  off from hectic schedule  in Ladakh to  comment,  “We are in the middle of producing The Family Man.While the  first schedule is being shot in Ladakh, the second schedule is set in Leh, Srinagar and Pahalgam. It’s a different genre we wanted to try.It’s a thriller drama about counter-terrorism.Except that it’s treated like any other job. It’s a government job for the protagonist. And he has to balance his family life and this very sensitive highly important job  while going through same struggles as any government employee…you  know, rented flat, shitty car, growing kids.”

 The  dup is working with Manoj  Bajpai for  the  firsr time.

Says Raj, “Manoj  was  pretty much our first choice.We also decided to cast actors from various regional film industries…Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, local Kashmiri actors and of course Mumbai actors.”