Karan Anshuman — the man who has created and directed seminal streaming projects like Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Rana Naidu — is now riding high on the success of his latest show, Glory. Starring Pulkit Samrat and Divyenndu, Glory is an intense sports drama-cum-murder mystery and is currently placed at the top of the Netflix charts. A t2 chat with Karan.
Is there any piece of feedback to Glory that has made you feel that making it has been worth it?
Absolutely! There have been some very interesting messages. When you make a project, there is always a section of viewers who go beyond just the entertainment factor, with the show making a real-world impact on them.
For Glory, between me and the actors, we got a lot of intense, thoughtful feedback, especially from sons of fathers who don’t have great relationships with them. They mentioned that watching Glory immediately prompted them to connect with their dads. One of them even said how he picked up the phone and apologised profusely to his father and he didn’t need any context for that. These are the kind of things that make you feel, as a maker, that what you have made has been worthwhile.
The theme of how some parents push their kids to become athletes at a very young age, not giving them a choice in any way, has resonated with audiences. We have seen it play out in real life, like with (cricketer) Yuvraj Singh and his father (Yograj Singh), the Williams sisters (tennis champs Venus and Serena) with their dad, as well as Andre Agassi with his father. They didn’t have great relationships with their dads, but in some way, they are also champions because of them.
That was the initial thought we started Glory with — that you reach the pinnacle of a sport but you haven’t been able to maintain a good relationship with your parent. And then, what happens, to those who don’t make it, which is 99 per cent mostly... these are the people who give up a normal childhood and then don’t even get to realise their dreams, which, in turn, affects them in a negative manner. That is what I wanted to explore first, which people have really liked. The murder mystery angle came in after that.
Inside Edge, Mirzapur, Rana Naidu and more... you have a glorious strike rate as far as hit shows are concerned. In what way has making Glory pushed you as a storyteller and filmmaker?
Glory was a very unique experience for me because this was the first time I got to be a hands-on producer with my company, Atomic Films. One would think that wearing multiple hats would be more of a challenge but it made things easier for me because I got to shape the story of the show without having to compromise or accommodate the perspective of other people. I had a lot more freedom and authority to work on things like shoot schedules and the like.
I was well aware of the mechanics at play and it made the ride a lot smoother. It was quite stress free. By now, I know how to make streaming shows in a way which makes them efficient and effective, without having to kill myself in the process!
You were one of the first to be part of the Indian streaming revolution. OTT then was looked upon as a platform to tell stories in the way one wanted, without the pressures that come with making films. Of late, of course, there is increasing chatter about data-driven, algorithmic programming. How do you react to that and how have you worked around it to maintain your own voice?
Whether you are outside or within the system, one has to contend with a lot of data now. But telling stories is always going to be about originality. I have always believed in that. There is no one formula to anything, whether it is in films or on streaming.
It has only been about 10 years since streaming came to India. We now have a mountain of viewership data, which we didn’t have earlier. But it is the original, sometimes even crazy, take on stories that has always worked. So even when data comes in from the streamers, I always try and remind them: “This data is actually based on a bunch of stuff that I have done in the past and which you are now returning to me.”
At the end of the day, the audience expects to be surprised. They expect to see new, fresh things. Data cannot tell you about what we need in terms of fresh content... it can only inform you about what has worked in the past.
Honestly, I am a data guy, I love taking in all kinds of information and numbers. I am a total nerd that way. But I do not rely on data that tells you what will not work. If you do that, you go into a reductive spiral of sorts where you are speaking and making the same things again and again.
Among all the work you have done so far, what remains at the top of the mind of the audience?
The most popular is, of course, Mirzapur. There is no doubt about that, it constantly keeps coming up. Rana Naidu is another. If I am in Hyderabad, for example, people talk a lot about Rana Naidu. Inside Edge is remembered very fondly as the first work I did on OTT.
Some of my favourite moments as a creator have been on Inside Edge. It was right at the beginning of India’s streaming journey (2017)... we had no idea what we were doing and how it would be received. The kind of reception it met with took everyone by surprise. Glory, in many ways, has been a culmination of that.
Your feature film debut was with the comedy, Bangistan more than a decade ago. But you haven’t gone back to the genre since. Do you see yourself making a comedy soon?
I love comedy. I think I am a funny guy! Bangistan (starring Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat) didn’t connect with the audience, but comedy has always been on my mind and I would love to revisit it.
At the same time, I feel I am good with drama. It is second nature to me. But it is always more fun to challenge yourself and to do different genres and newer things. I keep trying to mix it up. In Glory, I tried a murder mystery, asking myself whether I could hold audiences captive long enough to be invested in something where there is a burning question to be answered at the end of the show. That has been a new challenge.
I have written a situational comedy and I would love to do it. My daughter is very young and has not been able to see any of the work I have done so far. I would love to make a comedy for her.
Being a former film critic yourself, how do you respond to criticism of your work?
I do read reviews. I watch video reviews as well, some of which are quite interesting because they are presented in a strange manner and it is fun to see that kind of stuff! I used to be a film critic a long time ago and there are some reviewers — some of who used to be my colleagues and contemporaries — whose judgment I trust and value. I read reviews of films that I might not be sure if I want to watch in theatres, and that is how I feel reviews should be used by the general public... that is what their purpose is.
I know there has been some discussion of late about how people don’t want to read reviews. I read an article about it. But I wholeheartedly disagree with that. Critics have a very important role to play and they are doing us a service that we should all appreciate. As far as criticism about my work is concerned, I am always happy to accept anything that is constructive.