Rajeev Barnwal has been a part of films like Ranbir Kapoor starrer Besharam and the most recent thriller drama Vadh starring Sanjay Misra. The filmmaker made his OTT debut with a 10-episode crime thriller Jehanabad: Of Love And War which depicted a fictionalized love story in the backdrop of an infamous jail-break that took place in 2005. With a stellar cast of Ritwik Bhowmik, Harshita Gaur, Rajat Kapoor, Satyadeep Misra, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Rajesh Jais, Sonal Jha and others, the show has garnered praises for it’s succinct storyline and intriguing characters.
In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Rajeev Barnwal revealed his journey behind Jehanabad. The filmmaker explained, “I prefer making projects that are slice of life and have love as an integral part of the script. And for a long period of time, in our country, we’ve stopped loving each other and stopped communicating with each other effectively. We only want to perceive the problems but we don’t want to resolve them by talking to each other. So I always wanted to tell a love story and I always had this question in mind whether it can conquer every conflict? Jehanabad: Of Love and War is that attempt. I wanted to serve a romantic love story on a platter and then create a world around it which has social and rebellious themes and yet stays true to the purity of love.”
Rajeev Barnwal added, “Thanks to Ritwik Bhowmik and Harshita Gaur who were able to bring the organic quotient in what I set out to achieve. Their chemistry did justice to my idea where I wanted the viewers to get a hang of how love was perceived back in 2005 as opposed to today in the era of dating apps when it fizzles in no time.”
However, for the filmmaker to coalesce the Jehanabad 2005 incident with a parallel track was not an easy feat, let alone keeping the consistency intact. Barnwal recalled, “The story of Jehanabad came to me back in the 2000s but it’s only now that it got materialized. It aged like a fine bottle of whiskey. For me, the entire screenplay was a big challenge because I was going out of my comfort zone. I knew from the beginning that the script has the possibility of falling flat on its face since it was inundated with complexities. From keeping the story unpredictable and interesting to briefing Ritwik how to go about his character shrouded in mystery, I was so involved with the process that I’ll get these vivid dreams about not fleshing out my characters properly.”
One of the strong suits of Jehanabad was the talented cast and how seamlessly they fit in their respective roles. Disclosing how he zeroed in on the actors for his story, Rajeev shared, “We conducted a lot of auditions. Fortunately, with OTT, there is no pressure to chase certain stars and it gives storytellers like me a platform to tell a story. I was very clear about what kind of actors I wanted from the get go. For example, casting Rajat Kapoor was an experiment since his body of work is usually associated with urban roles. I wanted someone who can exude that power of a politician without falling prey to stereotypes.”
He further emphasised, “I know what I wanted in terms of looks and persona. For the role of Kasturi, we selected Harshita Gaur after a rigorous vetting process. And the auditions were unique in the way that I would personally go to the actors and interact with them on myriad personal topics. Some would say it was a drill out of. UPSC interview but that helped us to make up our mind. We never used to talk about the character per se but everything else. And fortunately, right from Rajesh Jais, Sonal Jha to other supporting actors, we were blessed by a team of actors that fit well with my story. ”
Complimenting Satyadeep Mishra’s acting prowess, “He is a gem to work with. He is so subtle and so good on screen I strongly believe Satyadeep Misra is an underrated actor and he truly deserves good work and roles,” he shared
Jehanabad: Of Love and War also boasts of a narrative that doesn’t quite preach you about right and wrong but instead presents you with a plot that is overloaded with elements of drama, pathos and love. Explaining why his show didn’t get preachy, he said, “I didn’t want to force my opinions as a filmmaker. I am not some profound name or philosopher that can change the history or change one’s perspective. My purpose was only to entertain people. And the audience are naturally smart and intelligent to catch up on what I am trying to portray. They can perceive it to the best of their experiences. They are the best judges of what is right and what is wrong.”
He added, “I just presented facts objectively that I have witnessed around me all these years while growing up. Sudhir Mishra had once used a brilliant analogy for caste discrimination wherein he said it’s like an old machinery that continues to exist without faltering even once. So I just showed the state of things that are on the ground without taking any stance. My scenes were designed in a subtle way to evoke or trigger once conscience who might be doing or saying something wrong. That’s the beauty of it.”
Jehanabad: Of Love and War is now streaming on SonyLIV.
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