Growing up in a family of doctors, little did Anand Tiwari realise that he will soon venture into the world of entertainment.
After dabbling in Marathi theatre for a while, he soon started taking up commercial projects and pivotal roles in movies; he also tried his luck with direction.
Anand has successfully assisted Anurag Basu in Barfi! and also worked with Ramesh Sippy Productions. The talented man has also been part of a Hollywood project that starred Naomi Watts.
Wanting to creatively expand, Anand launched his production company Still and Still Moving Pictures with friend Amritpal Singh Bindra.
With their successful venture Girl in The City launching its second season, we spoke to him about the project and more.
Excerpts...
What new will we see in Girl in the City chapter 2?
We will see Meera go through challenges that are much bigger than what she faced as an intern. What became of her after the job offer, what will become of Karthik? And to top it there are two new characters this season to drive the show with and against her.
Has web series become an easy way to fulfill the creative desires of a filmmaker?
I wouldn’t reduce the importance of it to something as simplistic. Yes, a lot of filmmakers are now directing and producing series. But so are TV producers. Comic actors are directing stuff on the net as well. Some new talent too is coming to the fore. Series work has its own grammar and its own demands. It’s sometimes more liberating for the makers than films. So yes, it’s a great format to tell stories but it isn’t any easier.
With so much of content available online, how one does create the edge?
One needs to be true to what one wants to say. At Still and Still Moving Pictures, Amrit and I are concentrating on being true to all our stories. We believe if you really put your mind and energies in the right direction people will connect with your content. No matter whom you are competing with. So the trick is in being honest.
While working on a co-production, how much of creative differences arise?
Many, but it is great to have creative differences and then coming to a creative consensus. Working with the creative team of bindaas, we have always enjoyed the healthy collaboration we had in all our discussions. It’s great to be backed by people who care for your content. And really helps to have a strong voice like Sanyukta Chawla to spearhead it as the writer.
A nation hooked to saas bahu sagas; do you feel web series will make a mark?
They already are making a mark. We have a huge audience base on the net and it’s growing every day. The increase in number of smart phones, data packages becoming cheap, wifis being available at more and more places, these are very encouraging signs for content online. So whether or not saas-bahus stay, web work is here to stay.
A series like Pappu Aur Papa was rejected to be certified by the censor board, do you feel the pinch of censor board will push creativity away?
I think as a country we are questioning whether and how we should censor our content. We need a healthy debate and give credit to the discerning viewers. Then decide on what certification or censorship suits our society.
Romance, Drama and Emotions- what works best online?
Good stories work wherever you get them. This format only makes it tougher for the makers to keep the audience hooked throughout as the distractions are a click away.
New projects that you are working on...
We were blessed to find success in the last year with all of our shows across platforms. Many of them will be coming up with season 2s. Amrit and I are also working on a show for Amazon Prime and are very excited about it. There is a feature film too but more on it in due time.
Girl in The City 2 will launch from 24 March!
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