Single papa, Netflix's latest show, is conquering the fans' hearts, with audiences and critics alike praising its warmth, humor, and relatability.
In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, director Neeraj Udhwani opened up about the ideas that led to the making of the series, the amazing cast, the mix of drama and humor, and the next things that the viewers will be able to see.
Excerpts from the Interview:
The Inspiration Behind Single Papa
Q: Since single fatherhood and adoption are still taboo topics in India, what inspired you to create a show centered around this concept? Where did the idea come from?
Neeraj Udhwani: So, actually, Ishita Moitra, who's the co-creator on the show, also happens to be my wife. So, she and I were traveling together and we happened to see a man with a baby. Like, he was a 30–35-year-old man and he had a six-month-old baby with him and he was traveling alone.
Suddenly the baby needed to change the diaper. The man kept wondering where he could change the diaper because diaper stations are usually found only in women's toilets. He obviously couldn’t go inside. In the men’s washroom, there were no diaper stations. He was sent to the nursing room, but there were women feeding inside, so he couldn’t enter there either.
It almost felt like the whole world had decided that changing diapers is not something men do. That’s when we felt there is a story here. We started wondering—who is this man? Is he divorced? Is he a widower? Is the child adopted? All these thoughts sparked our imagination. Over a few months, we developed it and that’s how Single Papa was born.
It’s completely fictional. There was just an image—a visual of a man with a baby—that triggered our imagination, and we created a fictional story out of it.
Casting Kunal Kemmu
Q: Kunal Kemmu has done fabulous work in this series and everybody is loving it. How did you know that it was Kunal Kemmu? How did you cast him?
Neeraj Udhwani: While we were writing, Netflix came on board, Samar Khan as producer and Shashank Khaitan as showrunner joined. Halfway through writing, we started deciding who should play Gaurav.
Someone—Shashank, I think—suggested Kunal, and all of us instantly felt, bang on, this is it. If it’s Kunal, it’s going to be fun. To our delight, in the very first narration, Kunal said yes. He was our first choice and didn’t need convincing at all.
Juggling Multiple Roles
Q: You’ve been the co-producer, written, and directed parts of the series. How did you balance these multiple hats and ensure authenticity?
Neeraj Udhwani: This is the first project where I’ve played so many roles. Ishita and I have nurtured this story for years—five to six years. Because it was so close to our hearts, we wanted to be involved till the end as co-producers.
This is also my 20th year as a writer, and I’ve directed before, so it was manageable. We also had a great team—Samar Khan, Shashank Khaitan, and Netflix had our backs. Honestly, it wasn’t very challenging.
Capturing Indian Family Dynamics
Q: How did you so beautifully capture the emotional bond of an Indian family in the series, expecially in that scene where Gaurav and his father hug each other and are afraid to express their emotions?
Neeraj Udhwani: In India, no big decision happens without family involvement—career, marriage, everything. So if a man adopts a child, his family will be deeply involved. That automatically created drama and emotional moments. The family may oppose initially, but because there is love, reconciliation happens. It just takes a little nudging.
Blending Comedy with Emotions
Q: The comic timing in the show has landed really well. Like the scene where Kunal says, “Voh lelo bilkul Taimur dikhta hai”. How did you ensure comedy worked along with emotions?
Neeraj Udhwani: Ishita and I met while working on Mere Dad Ki Maruti. I wrote the story and screenplay, she wrote the dialogue. We both come from a comedy background. I’ve also written stand-up comedy for The Great Indian Comedy Show. Shashank makes rom-coms, Kunal has fantastic comic timing, Hitesh directed Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. All of us understand comedy instinctively. So when we came together, the tone just fell into place.”
The Stellar Cast
Q: Anything you’d like to say about the cast—Neha Dhupia, Prajakta Kohli, Manoj Pawah, Dayanand Shetty, and others?
Neeraj Udhwani: We were extremely lucky. Everyone was our first choice. Manoj Pawah said yes instantly. Ayesha ma’am said yes instantly. Prajakta came on board with just one phone call.
The biggest surprise was casting Dayanand Shetty. You think “Daya, break the door”, not “Daya, change a diaper”. Even Netflix loved this casting. Daya himself was thrilled to do something different.
Neha Dhupia added gravitas to Mrs. Nehra. She read the part and said yes immediately. This was one of those rare projects where everyone you think of just says yes.”
What’s Next? Season 2 and Beyond
Q: What’s next for you? Can we expect a Season 2?
Neeraj Udhwani: Right now, we are basking in the love. It’s only been three days since release, and the response has been phenomenal. I really hope there is a Season 2. We are waiting for the numbers. If it happens, we’ll start immediately. There are other films and stories in development, but we’ll announce them when the time is right.
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