GOTT IT: Regional themes on streaming platforms get resounding response

Nonika Singh

REGIONAL is universal — there’s been this buzz for a while now as films from the South become bona fide pan-India mega hits. Today, as audiences and critics go gaga over Netflix series ‘Kohrra’, set in Punjab, it’s a reminder of what has been apparent for a long time. Local is global and nothing works better than authentic regional flavour and small-town stories. The key ingredient, of course, is quality.

Ever since OTT began knocking at the doors of Indian homes, the viewers’ gaze has turned both outside the borders and towards the Indian hinterland. Once viewers got hooked to foreign-language shows like ‘Narcos’ and ‘Money Heist’, language became no bar. As makers like Ashish R Shukla, who helmed the thriller series ‘Undekhi’ set in Manali, says, “People are certainly opening their minds to different parts of the country.” Others, too, feel that the change probably began with ‘Mirzapur’ (2018), that derived its name from a town in Uttar Pradesh. The inspiration for the series, appreciated by critics and audiences alike (IMDb rating is 8.5), was perhaps Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’.

Desi became cool and more shows with similar tenor and tempo exploring India’s heartland followed. Director Soumendra Padhi and his team of writers took audiences where no one in the mainstream space could have ever envisioned. ‘Jamtara’ was about this small district in Jharkhand that had gained notoriety as the phishing capital of India. ‘Jamtara’ has now become synonymous with any cybercrime hotspot in the country.

‘Panchayat’, a comedy web series created by the pioneers of web space, The Viral Fever, too, proved that if packaged intelligently, any story, even one exploring only rural issues, will have a universal appeal.

Pavan Malhotra, who anchored ‘Tabbar’ (backdrop was Jalandhar) with his effortless performance of a Sikh cop who would go to any length to protect his family, observes, “Small-town stories work just as middle-class tales do, for, deep down, we all have similar roots.” Malhotra credits small-town poster boy Ayushmann Khurrana for ushering in the winds of change. However, Shukla reasons, “While cinema did not give us the budget, television did not grant us the space to tell stories with a difference. OTT not only gave us both but also allowed the makers the freedom to think independently.”

Thus, Sudip Sharma, while basing the basic plot in New Delhi, packaged more than one regional flavour in ‘Paatal Lok’. It made established actor Jaideep Ahlawat a star as the Haryanvi proved to be a perfect fit for Hathiram Chaudhary, a rustic Haryanvi cop. Apart from a Punjabi track, the much-acclaimed series incorporated a whole lot of Bundelkhandi and even roped in a North-east angle in its narrative.

Creator-writer of ‘Kohrra’ Gunjit Chopra, who was part of the ‘Paatal Lok’ writing team, is not associated with its second season but shares how ‘Paatal Lok 2’ will bring yet another shade of the regional spectrum. He himself is writing a story from Haryana that he hopes to tell in Haryanvi. In fact, he attributes much of the success of ‘Kohrra’ to the language factor, as 75 per cent of the dialogues are in Punjabi. He asserts, “Language has its own rhythm and certain lines and phrases are simply un-translatable.” ‘Tabbar’ director Ajit Pal Singh feels the local language “offers viewers an immersive experience”.

Local language, in fact, not only enhances the regional flavour but also facilitates the rise of local actors. Shukla, whose ‘Undekhi’ turned the spotlight on Himachali actor Surya Sharma, says, “When stories are set in small towns, while the primary cast might be star-driven, makers do source secondary actors from the region, in the process discovering new talent who heighten the regional sensibility even further.”

At times, of course, the unexpected happens as with ‘Kohrra’, whose lead actor Suvinder Vicky has become a breakout star at 50. For Suvinder, language might have been just an enabler for, as he puts it, “Knowing the language means you don’t have to focus on the dialect and pronunciation and can concentrate on other finer nuances and prepare for your character.” Similar thoughts were expressed by Jaideep Ahlawat prior to the making of ‘Paatal Lok’ and how it took him just two days to get into the Haryanvi groove.

Indeed, it’s not essential that actors or writers have to belong to the very state where the story is set. It takes a Haryanvi Randeep Hooda to ace the Sikh part in ‘CAT’. Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha gets it right in ‘Dahaad’. She found playing low-caste Sub-Inspector Anjali Bhaati from Mandawa in Rajasthan easy, “because of a strong script”. Ditto, feels Suvinder, who too credits writers for fleshing out his character of both Sehtab (‘CAT’) and Balbir (‘Kohrra’) “so beautifully”. Writers, whether hailing from the same milieu or not, are invariably on point. Distance lends objectivity and they can see more and are tempted to explore further.

Besides, they are backed by ample research. “The final script,” Shukla reminds, “normally comprises 350 pages, with detailed groundwork. Prior to delving into the life of a Punjabi migrant family, all I knew of Punjabis was their swag and humanity. You learn along the way.” Nods Gunjit. Though a Punjabi born and brought up in Delhi, he says, “I was not coming from an I-know-it-all pompous space; rather, I was rediscovering my roots. The story of ‘Kohrra’ came to me as I travelled extensively through the hinterland for my documentary on Chamkila.”

Of course, while making the series, he had no idea or great expectations that it would capture the imagination of viewers like wildfire. “Who would have thought a story of two Punjabi cops, that too majorly in Punjabi, would transcend the language and regional barriers? Even Netflix is surprised by the humongous response.” Indeed, there is no set formula or strategy for creating content. As Ajit Pal observes, “At the end of the day, it’s not as if streaming platforms consciously set out to create path-breaking content. They are only looking at algorithms and data. It just so happens that out of 10 ideas they approve, one turns out to be pioneering.”

Director-writer of ‘CAT’ Balwinder Singh Janjua, whose series on a police informant from Punjab has won many plaudits for authenticity, admits that convincing the platforms to go with the local language is not easy. “All said and done, subtitles are distracting,” he adds. But at the same time, streamers are waking up to the immense potential of the regional connect. As regional OTT platforms are mushrooming, the main players, too, are reading the signs on the wall and feel the need to move away from urbanscape. Recently, Zee5 commissioned around 10 Tamil series. Netflix India head Monika Shergill also emphasised how Netflix is becoming increasingly local.

Actor Gul Panag, who plays a Haryanvi wife in ‘Paatal Lok’, however, reminds, “These shows are not to be confused as regional content. Rather, they are mainstream ones, but set in different states.” Undeniably, just placing the series in a particular milieu or a state does not guarantee authenticity in itself.

And for those who are lamenting how certain states like Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are under-represented in the OTT pie, Gul points out that entertainment is not a democratic place. There could be 50 shows from UP and none from Haryana. Punjab, that has conventionally dominated the entertainment space, what with major players in Bollywood being Punjabis, might seem to be the de facto flavour of OTT right now. What has changed with shows like ‘Tabbar’, ‘CAT’ and ‘Kohrra’ is that the Punjab we are seeing today is far removed from Yash Chopra and Karan Johar’s romanticised notions of the border state.

But even then, in effect, there are only a handful of productions showcasing Punjab and even fewer depicting its authentic picture. Actor-producer Mauli Singh would love to see more of Punjab’s stories, especially women’s narratives. While Gunjit promises to return to Punjab and Ajit Pal has a segment on Sikhs in his next film, nothing is de rigueur. Janjua, who wrote ‘Saand Ki Aankh’ about UP’s shooter dadis, has already moved into Meerut’s cultural landscape. He asserts how as makers, they are not confined to any region and are tempted to tell the story of any part that takes their fancy. Which state’s cultural ethos will capture the imagination of makers and viewers, no one knows.

National Award-winning director Rajesh Babbar is happy creating Haryanvi content for Stage app, a zonal OTT platform. His series ‘College Kaand’, starring Yashpal Sharma, may not have resonated as yet with the rest of India, but regional connect is no passing fancy. As Vishal Bhardwaj places ‘Charlie Chopra’, his web adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel, in Himachal Pradesh, the local touch could accentuate its celluloid translation. Think globally, act locally, is going to be the mantra for times to come. Gunjit might have discovered the kernel of his idea for ‘Kohrra’ in Korean drama ‘Memories of Murder’, but when he marries it with the local idiom, language and an original story, he touches a chord even with those who know nothing about Punjab. Across genres, across milieu, regional flavour is fast becoming the spice that the entertainment world can’t do without.

‘Transcending barriers’

Who would have thought ‘Kohrra’, a story of two Punjabi cops, that too majorly in Punjabi, would transcend the language and regional barriers? Even Netflix is surprised by the humongous response. Gunjit Chopra | writer, ‘Kohrra’

Note of caution

No one knows what will succeed and what won’t. Today, 100 makers are pitching where earlier 10 would. Shows like ‘Kohrra’ are one-off examples of brave attempts and I think we are moving towards a saturation point and in future we will see more of the same in the form of sequels. Ashish R Shukla | director, ‘Undekhi’