At a time when action web shows are in vogue, producer Shital Bhatia of Friday Storytellers and director Raghav Jairath chose a different route. They came up with the documentary, Secrets Of Sinauli, and they got the talented Manoj Bajpayee on board as the anchor. Its success led the team to collaborate on Secrets Of The Kohinoor followed by the recently released, Secrets Of The Buddha Relics. All three seasons, created by Neeraj Pandey, premiered on Discovery Channel with Secrets Of The Buddha Relics achieving not just widespread acclaim but also ranking as one of the top-rated India originals on the channel. On Discovery+, it claimed the #1 spot on the OTT platform.
Following this feat, Manoj Bajpayee, Shital Bhatia and Raghav Jairath spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about the show, their bond and a lot more. There was a lot of banter happening over the course of the conversation and it proved how much they are fond of each other.
What drew you to this series?
Manoj Bajpayee (MB): Neeraj Pandey and I have been talking about it since the time they thought of doing the show. Discovery was already on board. Also, it’s an area which is unexplored for me as an actor. I realized that it’ll also give me a chance to grow and focus on the aspect of the acting which is completely ignored nowadays in the name of realism, that is, voice and speech. When you go to any theatre institute all around the world, voice and speech is an important subject. I got the chance to work with veterans who helped me work on my speech for so many years. That came in handy while anchoring this show. The essence of the show needed to be conveyed through voice. Hence, I wanted to experience this process and see where I lack and where there is room for improvement. Nowadays, in the name of realism, we eat up or throw away a few words. Here, every word and sentence are saying something. You have to speak in such a way that the audience feels engaged. Or else, they would get bored. In short, I came on board to improve myself as an actor.
You have assisted in several acclaimed films. You could have debuted as a director with a film or a show. But you chose this path. How did that happen?
Raghav Jairath (RJ): I’ve been with Friday Filmworks and Friday Storytellers from the time I came to Mumbai. With Secrets Of Sinauli, the story that came to us was something different. Then we started research. This is a very deep process for us whether it’s a film or a series. We also believe in narrating the story in the best way possible, be it as a feature film, web series or documentary format. With Secrets Of Sinauli, we had a very interesting story in hand. There were talks that the chariot found came from the Western world but when it was dated, it turned out to be a thousand years old. It was something that added to our culture. We realized it’s a story best suited as a documentary.
How was Manoj Bajpayee finalized?
MB: Jab koi nahin milta, tab yeh mere paas aate hai (laughs)!
Shital Bhatia (SB): (Smiles) Manoj is like family to us. Apart from that, we needed an orator who could weigh each and every word that he was saying and make it interesting for the audience. When Raghav decided to do it as a documentary, Manoj was the only name that came to our mind. He was gracious enough to accept it.
MB: I didn’t have much choice. Friday Filmworks and Friday Storytellers don’t offer me roles. They order me to do them! And there are two people staring at you from top to bottom – one is Neeraj Pandey and the other is Shital Bhatia (laughs)!
On a serious note, since the time we worked on Special 26 (2013), we got along very well. Somewhere, the three of us realized that we felt comfortable in each other’s company. Hence, we continued collaborating. Every year, I’ve been doing something with them. We fight a lot, we disagree a lot and we also laugh a lot. There were times when we met every day, even when we were not working together! That’s the kind of friendship that developed. I am busy with my work and so are they. But there’s rarely any month when I don’t drop into their office.
SB: He’ll call up and say ‘Main chai peene aa raha hoon’!
MB: So, when you meet often, you also get a chance to work together again. I am dying to collaborate once more with this company not only because of Shital or Neeraj but because it’s like coming home. I feel most comfortable and be myself. People here know all your mood swings and craziness. However, he (Shital Bhatia) always insists that I reduce my fee (laughs).
SB: That’s the producer in me I guess!
Tell us about the research that went into making the shows. Also, there can be conflicting versions and it can be difficult to understand which one is right. Also, we are living in sensitive times, and one never knows who’ll get outraged and when….
RJ: Books are one of the biggest sources. Also, finding the right books is the mantra. The versions that are written later on, usse thoda gadbad ho jaata hai. But if you try to find the book that is nearest to the time period depicted in the show, then it makes things easier. In the case of Secrets Of The Buddha Relics, our basic source was the ‘Mahaparinirvan’, which was written around the First Council, which was held three months after Gautam Buddha’s death. We wanted to tell this original story, when the relics were actually formed. We also collaborated with a lot of professors researching over the last 25 years. We also had The Bodhi Society that came on board. Nevertheless, we did come across conflicting thoughts. But we kept those in the show and left it to the audience to decide.
The animation in the show is another USP and it's top-class…
RJ: Neeraj sir and Shital sir were clear that history can become very academic, and we wanted to avoid that. We had Manoj sir on board to give the voice. Then, we rallied behind Shital sir and insisted that we need animation for the show (smiles).
SB: The animation is indeed top notch, and I must congratulate Raghav for this. He actually started his career doing animation gaming and VFX. He collaborated with the VFX team, Raj VFX. They went all out. These documentaries don’t have too much budget but leaving that aside, they were so involved with the project that they also pushed the envelope. Raghav then made them push a little more!
I am sure you must be getting a majority of feedback for The Family Man. But how do you feel when people talk to you about this series? Does that surprise you?
MB: I get a lot of reactions. At airports, in flights or during promotions, kids aged 17 or 18 tell me that they saw the show at the insistence of their parents. They confessed that they felt it would be boring, but they found it so interesting that they saw the second and third instalments as well! That’s quite comforting. I got into this show just to have fun and challenge myself. But when you see a response of such kind, it’s quite overwhelming. Even parents come forward and thank me for doing the show. Also, the platform told us that it’s doing remarkably well.
SB: It is one of the top 10 documentaries at a global level!
MB: Moreover, this series is novel. Earlier, a documentary usually meant a boring show. Now, with these three seasons, what Raghav has done is that he has engaged the audience as if they are watching fiction. You are watching it to gain knowledge, but you are also entertained while doing so as the narrative is dramatic.
What were Neeraj Pandey’s inputs?
RJ: Start hi wahin se hota hai! We work on numerous ideas. After Secrets Of Sinauli, it was sir who suggested that we should explore Buddha. How the twists and turns need to be handled is also his doing. I keep learning from him every time and he, too, keeps pushing me.
SB: He’s the guiding force lekin saari mehnat Raghav ki hai.
MB: Neeraj has loads of experience in this space as he started with documentaries. Hence, you feel assured that the material will be guided in the right direction. It reminds me of the time when I was directing my play during my theatre days. Our teacher was the legendary Barry John. When he would sit in the rehearsals, it used to be an assurance that he’s there for me and will guide me, if needed. Neeraj’s presence has the same effect.
You have rarely played a historical character; the three ones I remember were in LOC Kargil (2003), Budhia Singh (2016) and Aligarh (2016). Would you like to explore this space more?
MB: There are many stories waiting to be told, especially in our country, of people braving all odds. It’s up to the directors or writers what they want to tell and what they want to offer me. I am always my eyes and ears open. But it has to be told nicely.
What next for Friday Storytellers and your film division, Friday Filmworks?
SB: We’ll come up with Khakee: The Bengal Chapter. Special Ops 2 will be released in August or September this year.
MB: They have finished 2 films. They are starting 2 more films and one series. And none of it features me (laughs)!
Would you like to make a fictional film or show next?
RJ: Yes. I really want to jump into fiction. Documentaries are very integral part of my career and I want to keep doing it too. Nothing is locked right now but once we get something exciting and I convince my producers, you shall hear about it.
Will there be a fourth season of Secrets?
Not yet. We had a three-part deal which is completed. Let’s see what happens from here on.
SB: We’d love to do more projects with them. I presume Discovery is happy with it.
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