By Joginder Tuteja
Much awaited web series Mumbai Diaries 26/11 has released on Amazon Prime and is finding quite some accolades coming its way. With all around appreciation for the hospital drama that has been set against the backdrop of ongoing 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the web series directed by Nikkhil Advani (along with Nikhil Gonsalves) was walking a thin line, considering the sentiments of millions of Indians attached to the dastardly attack. Even though more than a decade has gone by, the wounds remain, and for that the team had to stay ultra conscious.
Considering the commercial appeal of the web series which also entertains in its own way, how did Nikkhil and his team go about striking a balance?
"At the very onset, I knew that we would be asked whether we were commercializing something that was so sensitive. However, we had our ethos and sensibilities well in place. We wanted to make a hospital drama where doctors come around and say that we have done something right. We also wanted survivors to turn around and say that what we have showed on screen is something that truly happened and that too without being depicted in a sensational way. That was a clear watch out for us - 'don't sensationalize'," says Nikkhil, the maker of D-Day.
Even though the attacks of 26/11 have been well documented and several films, web series, docu-dramas and other features have been made internationally around it, there was a lot of work to be done by Nikkhil and his partners Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani at their production company Emmay Entertainment when it came to getting the medical drama right.
"There was this germ of an idea that stayed with me for so long. I did a lot of research, met doctors and the medical staff, observed how they were working with lack of facilities and infrastructure. It was heartbreaking," says Nikkhil, "In fact during last one and a half years of the pandemic, we have seen what’s the situation of hospitals in the country. Now if I go back at the time of 26/11, I can't help but further acknowledge that it's the whole medical fraternity and the frontline workers who our real heroes."
Post D-Day and Batla House, it is also quite apparent that Nikkhil loves the idea of exploring the genre of terrorism and geo-politics.
"Yes, I won't deny that I have this obsession with terrorism. D-Day [Arjun Rampal, Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor] has found its audience over the years and I am glad Batla House [John Abraham] did quite well in theatres. Now with Mumbai Diaries 26/11, I wanted to have it in the web series format. It is remarkable to see how the resilience of medical fraternity made 26/11 an extraordinary day for all. When you watch the web series, you would realize that there is so much that was happening every minute that night," he adds.
While Mumbai Diaries 26/11 has opened to a good response, there is also another web series The Empire that Emmay Entertainment released a couple of weeks back. This isn't all as there is Rocket Boys coming up next. Moreover, in the world of films too they recently had a release in Bell Bottom while Satyameva Jayate 2 is also awaiting the right window to make it to theatres. For a production house that started in 2011 and designed D-Day [2013] as the first feature film release, it has indeed come a long way.
"We have been commercial with our offerings, reached out to a wider audience and still stayed away from formula," says Nikkhil, "Look at Airlift. It had a superstar like Akshay Kumar taking a chance to work with a relative newcomer director like Raja Menon. When I made D-Day, it was again very different from the kind of films that were coming out at that time. For that matter even Satyameva Jayate has a formula which has been set by Milap Zaveri. Imagine him going from Mastizaade to this? Full marks to John Abraham for showing trust and confidence in our team."
No wonder, the team stays on to be quite close knit, what with siblings Nikkhil Advani and Monisha Advani along with friend Madhu Bhojwani firing all cylinders and continuing to sprint ahead in thick and thin.
"We come together to cope with success and failure. Even if one of us doesn’t agree with something, or feels that we won’t be able to justify what we bring on screen or are doubtful around whether we would be able to pull something off, the other two align themselves. We tend to understand each other’s point of view. Of course, just like any normal healthy partnership, not everything is always hunky dory. We fight, and then we make up. We have each other's back there," smiles Nikkhil before signing off.
Stay tuned for more updates.