Exclusive - Dupahiya director Sonam Nair on overwhelming response to the show, and why she gave Govinda CDs to Sparsh Srivastava

Sonam also revealed how she chose Sparsh Srivastava for the role of Bhugol, the bride's younger brother who aspires to be a Bollywood star and tags along with his sister to Mumbai after her wedding. Sonam talked about how she chose Sparsh and said that she hadn't seen Sparsh's performance in any of his previous films, including the popular Laapataa Ladies.

Sonam said she gave Sparsh CDs of veteran actor Govinda from his very early movies like Love 86 and Disco Dancer as a reference point for the role of Bhugol, which, according to her, he nailed to perfection.

When asked why she emphasizes the theme of women's empowerment in her films, Sonam said that she prefers to have strong female characters but that it is not always the main topic of conversation in her shows or films.

Sonam was all praise for senior Renuka Shahane, who has been earning a lot of praise for her role of Panch Pushpalata in the show. She further disclosed that Renuka had to put in the most effort to improve her dialect because she was under additional pressure because her husband and seasoned actor Ashutosh Rana is from this area.

Excerpts from the exclusive interview:

Talks about the overwhelming response to Dupahiya

"I've been completely overwhelmed. As soon as it dropped at midnight, it started, and till now, I'm still overwhelmed. I'm constantly glued to my phone. Messages are pouring in on Twitter, Instagram, and even old neighbors from 30 years ago are sending me messages. It's all very overwhelming, but I'm also incredibly happy."

The film's casting is also perfect; you cannot find even one person off-beat here.

Hadn't seen Sparsh's performance in Laapataa Ladies

I hadn't seen Laapataa Ladies when I was selecting Sparsh. I had shot for Dupahiya before Laapataa Ladies was released, so I didn't have that image of him in my mind. I hadn't seen Jamtaara either, so I didn't have any idea about Sparsh's character or his previous work. Of course, I knew he was part of those projects and had received a lot of praise, but Romil (casting director) got him to audition, and after seeing it, I said, 'This boy is very talented, and I want to do a screen test with him.' I directed him, and we did a real scene with the bike. After that, I was like, 'I don't need to meet anyone else; Sparsh is the one who can do this role.' It's a very difficult role since he's in almost every scene of the show. Sometimes he's with his father, sometimes with Amavas. He was too good, very natural. After that, I saw Laapataa Ladies and told him, 'You're doing something completely different in this.' You were shy, and I thought that's how you are in real life. He's such a good actor.

Govinda movies were his reference point

I sent Sparsh some of Govinda's early movies, like Love 86 and Street Dancer, when Govinda had just entered the film industry. His swag was different back then, not like Raja Babu. I sent him some videos and interviews and told him to watch them, absorb them, and then add his own twist. He understood, and I didn't have to direct him much. I wanted to capture the 80s vibe in the show, in the entire series, even the music. I added an 80s touch, and that vibe is reflected in the show."

Comparison with Panchayat is great, but they are not the same

Panchayat is a very successful show, and if someone finds our show similar, that's great. I didn't have any issue with it because we know that our show doesn't have any similarities in terms of story or characters. The type of comedy and performances in our show are also quirky and unique. It's a story about a village, and if you've seen other village-based shows, you'll know that village people are like this, and our show reflects that. If someone says our show is similar, I'm happy. If you like Panchayat, please watch it, but also watch our show, and you'll see the difference for yourself.

Was confident Dupahiya will work

"It was a blessing, and the script written by Avinash and Chirag, our writers for the show, made everything easy. Whoever read the script felt that it was an amazing script with well-defined characters, each with a lot to offer. This attracts actors the most—the opportunity to play unique and interesting characters. Our casting director, Romil, has done an excellent job with casting for several films. Recently, he did a great job with Laapataa Ladies, bringing together good theatre actors, local actors, and actors from the Hindi film industry. The mix turned out to be excellent. I think everyone was excited about the script, and I was too. We decided to work with actors who were genuinely excited about the project. Those who had a strong desire to do it, who had read and auditioned for it—when I saw their hunger, I knew it would be fun to work with them. And that fun is visible on screen. Nobody lacked interest while working on the project. Our senior actors were on board, and we were confident that it would work out well.

Renuka Shahane worked the hardest on her dialect

"She worked very hard on the dialect. Although all the actors worked equally hard on the dialect, I also trained for it myself. But she was the first to start, and she continued with the training because she felt additional pressure since her husband (Ashutosh Rana) is from the same area. She didn't want to go wrong and wanted her husband and his relatives to be proud of her and say she nailed it. You know, that was an extra pressure on her; despite being so experienced and senior, she would take dialect classes every week, sometimes twice or thrice a week. By the end of it, she was thorough with the dialect. And since people are used to hearing her speak in a certain way, it might seem odd to them initially that she's speaking in a different dialect. She's so well-known, but we just thought that people would forget all this by the second episode.

On how she chose Bhuvan Arora as Amavas

When Farzi was released, we were in the process of casting, and Amazon told me that there's an amazing actor in the series (Bhuvan Arora) and I should meet him. I went to meet him, and initially, we just met and had a brief conversation. Then I thought that if I could give him a makeover, adding a bit of innocence and sweetness and moving away from his typical dashing look. I thought that if I changed his look to rugged and brooding, he would be perfect for the role of Amavas. I did the same, and Bhuvan was very happy. He had also been wanting to play a romantic aashiq kind of a role, and he was thankful for being given one. He did a fantastic job as Amavas.

What next for Sonam ?

I'm currently developing and writing. When you receive feedback, that's when you realize what you want to do next. Before that, ideas are good, but I don't set any goals for myself, and I don't commit to anything until my show is actually released. I need to see the feedback first, and then I decide on my next project.

Money Control's reviewer Abhishek Srivastava said this show is  'potent enough to warrant a second watch.'