Show-runner and writer of the series Big Girls Don’t Cry Sudhanshu Saria believes there is no tolerance for mediocre stories on OTT platforms, as the audience has a multitude of choices now

Sheetal

The makers of Prime Video’s recent coming-of-age drama Big Girls Don’t Cry (BGDC) took their cameras right inside the uncharted territory of an all-girls boarding school. Set in a hilly region, the series boasts of stars like Pooja Bhatt, Tanya Abrol, Loveleen Sharma and Suchitra Pillai, but also launches new group of female actors. The series has been directed by Karan Kapadia (two episodes), Sudhanshu Saria (two episodes), Nitya Mehra (one episode) and Kopal Naithani (one episode).

The National-Award winning director Saria, also the show-runner and writer of the series, says that more than finding problems in collaborating with fellow writers and directors, everyone’s input made a difference.

Saria elaborates, “It can be a very good thing if the synergies are right and talents are complimenting each other. It gives you multiple perspectives and makes the show all the more relatable.” He adds, “It also allowed multiple units to shoot at the same time, which hastened the process.”

Garnering fame

Sudhanshu had won National Award for his 2020 film, Knock Knock Knock, a psychological thriller set in Darjeeling, and garnered fame at International Film Festivals, including Berlin, Busan, Hong Kong, Israel, Estonia and more. His short films, A Tight Spot and His New Hands, and even feature film debut, Love (2018), did the rounds at various festivals.

As Saria embraces OTT with BGDC, does he find any similarities between parallel cinema and OTT medium? “Not really. The only similarity that I can draw is in my approach towards content, whether it’s for digital space or film festivals. I am trying to discover myself while telling new and innovative stories. Audiences today are not looking for the same stuff, they have exposure to films and series from all around the world, so to keep them engaged and interested you really need to innovate as well as try new things,” explains Saria.

Moving past the 2022 release, Sanaa, starring Radhika Madan, Sohum Shah and Pooja Bhatt, jumping onto a series like BGDC and now excited about his next film Ulajh, also with big names like Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew, Saria has come far. For the future, he would rather take the road less taken. “I think what we have seen, especially after the pandemic, is that there is no appetite or tolerance for mediocre stories. No matter what the budget, the story must be cutting-edge, new and compelling. Now how that story is executed and who it is aimed at determine its budget. Which actors are you able to get also determine the reach and therefore the budget? So it all comes down to good script, everything else comes later and is secondary.”

The director calls it an ‘absolute honour’ and ‘overwhelming’ experience to receive a National Award at such as early stage of his career. He adds, “Given the level and depth of talent in our country, it is a big honour. It is really encouraging.”

Casting Pooja

Pooja Bhatt plays the central character in BGDC and gave a wonderful performance as headmistress Anita Verma of Vandana Valley Girls. Saria says, “Pooja Bhatt and I just finished a film together, Sanaa (2018), where we had quite a phenomenal time. So when we were very early into the casting of BGDC, we knew we needed somebody singular and talented, like Pooja Bhatt. A simple phone call was all it took, as she was all excited to join. She said yes before she had read the script.”

He is also full of praise for seven brilliant new actors in BGDC — Aneet Padda, Lhakyila, Akshita Sood, Afrah Sayed, Avantika Vandanapu, Vidushi and Dalai. “All my focus right now is on making sure that the most number of people take a chance, enter this world and see what these actors have been able to accomplish in BGDC,” he signs off.

Discovering new talent

From the very onset, Saria and others were very clear that they must find a young cast. They had no interest making a 30-year-old play an 18-year- old. Saria explains, “We spent nearly eight months in finding the right cast. And when these seven girls came on board, each of them slid into their roles so beautifully.”