Local Has Become Global With Advent Of OTT Platforms, Says Taj Mahal 1989 Maker Pushpendra Nath Misra

Filmmaker Pushpendra Nath Misra’s debut feature, Ghoomketu starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead is set to be streamed on the OTT platform from May 22 after an inordinate delay of a few years. But he has already made his mark in the entertainment industry with his maiden web series, Taj Mahal 1989, now steaming on Netflix. Giridhar Jha speaks to the writer-director from Lucknow about his career in films and the success of his web series. Excerpts from the interview:

Q) Taj Mahal 1989, your maiden web series on Netflix, appears to have struck the right chord with the viewers. What kind of feedback have you been receiving for it?

It has been extremely overwhelming -- more than deserving, I would say. There has been a positive response not only from the audiences in India but also from other parts of the world US. I am too happy to have received such a response.

Q) Do you think that the advent of OTT platforms such as Netflix is going to be a game changer, especially for directors like you, because of its phenomenal reach?

It certainly augurs well for the film-makers like me because any release of the OTT platform is far bigger than the release of any Bollywood movie in the country. Netflix, for example, reaches out to the audiences simultaneously in more than 180 countries. If you look at it from the creative side, your story reaches a huge audience at the global level. It gives storytellers an impetus to come up with their best. Thanks to OTT platforms, the local has become global today as far as stories are concerned.

Q) But such stories have to have universal content to help a diverse audience connect instantly…

On the contrary, the more local your story is, the bigger its universal appeal becomes. The audiences are the same everywhere as far as emotions are concerned. Feelings of love and heartbreaks do not differ from region to region. You don’t have to tell anyone about them. That is why you cannot generalise emotions. Instead, you have to go deeper into the details. It is the honesty in the storytelling which travels far beyond the boundaries. The audiences feel that honesty and empathise with the characters regardless of which part of the world they hail from.

Q) Your webs series has different shades of love, something which might have appealed to the global audiences?

Love happens in all ages. 'Love is a mutating virus' is the base line of our series. It cannot be understood at any age. The harder you try to fathom its depth the deeper it gets. By the time a man realises what love is all about, its definition gets changed. It is like an endless chase.

Q) Apart from that, what in particular do think the audiences have liked in your web series?

There are a few things. First of all, we have depicted the time around 1989 when there was no cellphone or internet. In those days, it took a lot of hard work to love someone and maintain that love. In those days, lovers would meet each other after long wait, at times under scorching sun. They would write long letters or talk on phone. Compared to modern romance, love stories had more seriousness back then.

Also, the series took the audiences on a nostalgic trip to a small town. People liked the simplicity and truthfulness in its story. They did not only find love but also nostalgia in it. Actually, when you see something very old, it appears to have some novelty. Even though more than 30 years have elapsed from that time, people felt it was just like yesterday.

Q) Do you think the rise of content-rich movies and web series will spell doom, sooner or later, for the long-standing star system in Bollywood?

I think both will co-exist. The audiences have always loved the stars and their work, so star system will not go away. But the content will certainly hold prominence with the advent of OTT platforms such as Netflix. The film-makers will have to to provide good stories. It is heartening that the audiences are appreciating good content and the big studios are also supporting it now. And if the audiences are keen on lapping up good content, it will automatically spur the filmmakers to come up with interesting subjects.

Q) You were an ad film maker before you dabbled in various formats, from television and feature films to a web series now. Do you to have to change yourself as a filmmaker for different formats?

Different formats need different treatment. In an advertisement, you have to tell your story in 30 to 60 seconds. Once it ends, you remember only its main point. The storytelling is completely different in the longer formats. In web series, for example, you have to end an episode with something that whets the curiosity of audiences. Each episode happens to be a film in itself. You can actually make six to seven films out of the content of one web series but it cannot be treated like a feature film. But the basic discipline in all the formats remains the same, despite their differences.

Q) Your debut feature film, Dhoomketu, is also set to be streamed on the OTT platform now. Like Taj Mahal 1989, it is also about Uttar Pradesh. Have you used any autobiographical elements in either of them?

I do come from UP and I have spent 20 years of my life there. But none of them has any autobiographical content. I have observed life deeply in UP and my characters are based on my observations of real people there. Since I have observed life in all honesty, it gets reflected in my characters.