Right from its title to popular culture references, Netflix collection “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein” is sprinkled with Shah Rukh Khan trivia, in response to its solid members Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Anchal Singh.
The solid of the upcoming present says these throwbacks to the filmography of Khan, together with films like “Baazigar”, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” to “Om Shanti Om” come from the utmost respect they’ve for the celebrity who defines “all shades of romance”.
Set within the fictional city of Onkara, the story of “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein” follows a romantic simpleton, Vikrant, performed by Bhasin. He is an object of need for Purva (Singh), who will go to any lengths to get him. The eight-episode collection will see the mild-mannered Vikrant creating a brand new facet to him. In order to flee Purva’s clutches and reclaim his life along with his real love, Shikha (Sharma), he goes down a darkish path solely to remorse it later on this pulpy thriller.
As a “Delhi boy who comes to Bombay to act”, Bhasin mentioned it’s unimaginable to not be an enormous Shah Rukh Khan fan.
“There is superstardom after which there’s Shah Rukh Khan. He not represents the celebrity, he’s an establishment of somebody who has a dream and places in every part to make it. It was excellent to know that there was SRK trivia thrown into the collection.
“It is applicable too because the series is very pulpy Bollywood. It has throwbacks to the ’90s purely in terms of the theme: there is passionate romance and revenge. There’s a character arc where an ordinary man faces extraordinary circumstances,” the actor, who was lately seen in Kabir Khan’s “83”, instructed PTI in an interview over Zoom.
The trailer of the collection, created and directed by Sidharth Sengupta, additionally introduces the viewer to a brand new phrase: ‘Shah Rukh-giri’.
When you say ‘Shah Rukh-giri’, it means being a hero, mentioned Bhasin.
“It is with utmost humility and respect that these references have been made,” he added.
For Tripathi Sharma, nobody romances on display like Shah Rukh Khan.
“He has shown us all shades of romance. I think that’s the beauty about being an artiste and the kind of person that he is… That’s what I love about cinema that influences your daily life. Entertainment is a major chunk of this but there is so much more. Films break all barriers like caste, religion, etc, as it only boils down to emotions,” she mentioned.
Singh, who has grown as much as Shah Rukh’s movies, mentioned she is solely “happy” to be a part of a present that celebrates the King of Romance.
“Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein” is described as a psychological drama set towards the backdrop of crime and need with themes of twisted love and energy.
Bhasin, who gained prominence following his breakout debut because the antagonist in 2014’s “Mardaani”, mentioned it was thrilling to star in a romantic drama.
“It was new to play a character who wears his heart on sleeve and leads with his heart. The exciting dynamic of having a romantic triangle with a very interesting, inverse sort of perspective. We’ve seen so many themes of a love triangle when the man is passionately in love with the woman. But what happens if it’s the other way round and also she is in the position of power? Love is an intense emotion to play, just like hate is at the other end of the spectrum. Just to be able to play both these extremes in one series was a big challenge,” the 34-year-old actor mentioned.
Tripathi Sharma, 36, described the present as a “rollercoaster of emotions”.
“What excited me about the story was love. Love is a very simple yet important thing. Today, in the world things like simplicity, kindness and love are getting diluted. Other emotions like power are weighing heavy on love. When you have ultimate power, only then you know if you will use it well or not. That was very exciting. And, Shikha is ready to do whatever it takes to get her love,” she added.
Singh, who has starred in Tamil movie “Dhilluku Dhuddu”, mentioned it was rewarding to play Purva, a “beautifully layered” character in “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein”.
“Like Shikha, she is also ready to get her love, but the means and the different social environment she belongs to is how they differ. Maybe from the outside they both want the same things but the more you go inside, you see how different they are. For Purva, everything is fair in love and war,” she mentioned.
The collection is one more ever-growing listing of net collection based mostly in a small-town of north India and Bhasin mentioned the present does full justice to the milieu.
“When I see ‘Narcos’, ‘Squid Game’ or ‘Borgen’, they are unapologetically authentic to their native countries. Our series is also rooted in reality even when there is stylised dramatisation,” he mentioned.
Tripathi Sharma, whom Bhasin referred to as ‘a north India expert’ courtesy her starring turns in movies like “Masaan”, “Raat Akeli Hai”, and Prime Video collection “Mirzapur”, mentioned relatability is a big issue that gravitates inventive folks to the area.
“There are so many flavours to explore in north India. I still think we haven’t done that. What I like about ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’ and what OTT is offering is that there’s something for everyone. If you want spice, you have that. If you want dessert, there is that too,” she mentioned.
Also starring Saurabh Shukla, Surya Sharma, Brijendra Kala, Arunoday Singh, Anant Joshi, Sunita Rajwar and Hetal Gada, the collection will begin streaming from January 14.
Sengupta additionally serves as author together with Anahata Menon and Varun Badola for the collection, which is produced by Edgestorm Ventures.