“Some people were wary about the concept of the show. They wondered, ‘What is so special about making a watch?’. Chand pe toh nahin gaye na; that would have made for a great show, in their opinion’,” confessed Made In India: A Titan Story writer Karan Vyas during his exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama. However, Karan, fellow writers Kandarp Shroff and Niraj Dasa and director Robbie Grewal came out with flying colours. The Jim Sarbh-Naseeruddin Shah’s web series has been loved for its subject, treatment, heartwarming scenes, performances and strong writing. In fact, it’s a rare title to have near-unanimous acclaim. Karan Vyas, who has previously worked on popular web series such as Scam 1992 (2020), Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo (2023), Scoop (2023) etc., opened up more about it and shared fascinating trivia while talking to us.
How has life been ever since the release of Made In India: A Titan Story?
It’s been really good as well as crazy. It's almost like a déjà vu. I had received a similar reaction when Scam 1992 (2020) was released. I am constantly getting calls and messages on my phone. I am also flooded with Instagram DMs. The love the show is receiving is beyond what we imagined. My society watchman stopped and congratulated me; I don’t think he has seen anything that I’ve done (smiles). Kids to 70-year-olds have reached out to me, and so has my dad’s boss; they all praised the show.
I went to some place for registration. They learned that I had written this web series and as a result, my work got done faster (laughs)! So, it's unprecedented and unreal. We have worked for 3 ½ or 4 years on the material. So, with all the love pouring in, I feel that our hard work has paid off. Now it motivates me to do better. I have more conviction in my gut feeling.
Were you present on the sets?
We were very secure about our collaboration with Robbie. We had worked extensively on the readings and prep, and also had our share of healthy arguments and debates. Every line, every treatment, Robbie's shot breakdown, and the screenplay were meticulously thought through. Our only objective was to translate onto the screen exactly what we had envisioned during the prep stage.
Moreover, the show was designed in a particular way and mounted within a specific budget. It was shot with a limited crew at locations such as the Titan factory in Hosur, where only a restricted number of people were allowed. Robbie and his team shot on an operational factory floor. On one side, actual watches were being manufactured, while on the other, we were filming without disrupting the plant's functioning. This is also the first time anything has been shot at Bombay House, the Tata Group's headquarters in South Mumbai. Everything was meticulously planned. I was on the set for the first two or three days, when both Naseer saab and Jim were also present. We could sense that sab ka sur mil gaya hai! After that, we realized that there was no need for anyone from the writing team to be present on the set.
There’s one dialogue from the show that has caught on big time – “India must not become only an economic superpower. It should be a happy country”…
JRD Tata never said anything exactly on those lines. But the more you read about him or his interviews, you get a sense that he was less about money and more about experience and community. The Tata philosophy is also about that – being enterprising while building a community. So, it came from there. Moreover, I also believe in it. I always tell people that we focus on GDP and not on happiness.
It reminds of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness index…
Yes. Bhutan is second in that index and many Scandinavian countries feature in it as well. India is not even in the top 100. We are just chasing mindless economic growth, but are people happy? Mumbai is called the city of dreams as it helps you earn a lot of money. And yet, many times, people look back and feel that they were happier in their hometown, even though they were not as rich then. Even I had those internal moral questions, and they came out through this dialogue.
There’s a beautiful scene in the show when a foreign consultant named Josh (Varanda Andreetta Joao Pedro), who helps workers in watchmaking, is given a plate of Idlis as a farewell gift. Did that happen for real?
We learned that foreigners used to come to train the workers. While sharing anecdotes, someone randomly happened to mention that they were a huge fan of Idli Sambhar. When they would meet after many years or bump into these foreigners at Watch Expo, they would confess that they miss having Idlis a lot! That’s how we got the idea and we incorporated it into the story.
Another beautiful moment is when Akash Dixit (Vaibhav Tatwawadi) is equated with a mother. I don’t recall seeing this before – a man being accorded the same status as a mother. Did you have any apprehensions before including this scene in the script?
Creatively, I got absolute freedom from my director, producer and the platform. They completely backed my vision and thought process. As for this scene, I believe every man has a feminine side and every woman has a masculine side. Akash is someone who is deeply nurturing, and when you think of nurturing, the first image that comes to mind is that of a mother. It was an intuitive and thoughtful decision. We didn’t over-discuss it or have arguments over it. Whoever read it understood the emotion behind it and had no objection.
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