The showrunner of Kaala Paani, Sameer Saxena, says one should move away from the herd mentality on OTT and come up with fresh ideas to keep the audience invested

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Kaala Paani Ki Asli Dewaar To Bahar Hai… Aur Wo Eeton Se Nahi, Paani Se Bani Hai…from dialogues to casting to performances to location, showrunner Sameer Saxena has done it again with Netflix’s latest series Kaala Paani. It has been co-directed by Saxena and Amit Golani. The executive producer behind web series like Panchayat and Gullak, Saxena reveals how he loves to experiment.

Leaving Kaala Paani on a cliffhanger was all part of the plan, so that viewers remain hooked. “We wanted the viewers’ first reaction to be ‘why’ and then them asking for season two. But at the same time, we feel it’s a very correct ending. So wouldn’t change a thing about the whole series,” says Sameer.

Recalling how the whole idea of giving a new definition to Kaala Paani came into being, he adds, “It is Biswapati Sarkar’s story and he stumbled upon this idea during a family vacation to Andaman and Nicobar long back. One of the guides told him that the place was known as Kaala Paani and kaal meant mrityu (death), so there was no escape from here. When he shared the idea of being stuck in a placewith me, it immediately got me interested. We had the idea during the pre-pandemic stage. Also, the subject of survival drama wasn’t much explored till now.”

So, did Covid inspire the plot of a possible viral outbreak? “Not at all. It only helped us feel the reality of our thoughts and added weight to the drama, as we knew that people would relate to it.”

Lasting impression

Except Mona Singh, Kaala Paani doesn’t have many known faces, yet the performances of the cast has become a talking point on social media. While Mona sticks around for just one episode, the other actors, Sukant Goel (Chiranjeevi aka Chiru), Vikas Kumar (Santosh Savla), Arushi Sharma(Jyotsna Dey) and Radhika Mehrotra (Ritu Gagra), leave a lasting impression.

The fact that the cast didn’t stereotype the local tribe of Andaman and Nicobar in the series deserves a pat on the back for the makers. Saxena reveals how they developed a whole new tribe (Orakas) from a scratch, right from the language, dressing to everything else. While primary characters were played by actors, a lot of secondary roles were taken by locals of Andaman. He adds, “Orakas are a completely fictitious tribe in the series, but we wanted to treat them as characters just like everyone else. Also, we ensured that we do not end up copying from anywhere else.”

Novel approach

One change that Saxena hopes for in the film and OTT industry is that everyone should try to move away from herd mentality of copying what has worked with the audience in the past. “We should always try to give something new because that’s what the viewers expect from us.”