How Killer Soup on Netflix cast Manoj Bajpayee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sayaji Shinde, Nassar and Malayalam actor Lal

Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sen Sharma in Killer Soup, a Netflix series.

Abhishek Chaubey’s tasty and wicked Netflix series Killer Soup brings together Manoj Bajpayee in a double role as Umesh and Prabhakar, and Konkona Sen Sharma as the shrewd Swati who is cooking more than soup. After working together in Shool, Sayaji Shinde reunites with Bajpayee for this series where things go wildly awry after an accidental death and the discovery of huge debt.

Writer-director Chaubey (Udta Punjab), Bajpayee, Sen Sharma and Shinde spoke about the black comedy which premieres on January 11, 2024.

Abhishek, you have worked with Konkona Sen Sharma and Manoj Bajpayee before, but this is the first time they are cast opposite each other. Sayaji Shinde and Manoj reunite after Shool (1999). Plus, there are actors from Tamil and Malayalam cinema in Killer Soup. How did you put this cast together?

From very early on, when the writers and I were still developing the story, we always had Manoj and Konkona on board. In fact, I spoke to them about the show even before I had written it out. We were all excited to work with each other and these are also great parts. Honey (Trehan) came up with the idea of Sayaji Shinde and I jumped at casting them as brothers after Shool.

When they started working with each other, after 20 years, it wasn't like a moment had gone by. Immediately the spark was there. As a Hindi filmmaker, you perhaps will never get a chance to work with so many actors but this was a show, and streaming sets you free like that. So, I could use a lot of Tamil language and Tamil actors. I love using languages and dialects and this was an opportunity to go into another culture, experience it very intimately, to interact with so many different talents. I have Nassar, who is a veteran and a legend, and Lal who's quite a legend in Malayalam cinema. Apart from that there are very good actors who've done a lot of theatre in Bangalore and Hyderabad. I really enjoyed the casting and really enjoyed working with each and every one of them.

Manoj, who did you enjoy playing the most – Umesh or Prabhakar?

Prabhakar. But it was very short-lived. I could compensate for it with the third one. The third one is a mix of both, but that was very tricky.

When I was doing it, I was not alone in that exploration. Abhishek and I were both trying to find the right pitch for every moment where Umesh can be Prabhakar, because Umesh is not a great actor. He’s trying to imitate and failing most of the time. Sometimes limping with the wrong leg! Umesh forgets.

Also, the voice texture and accent have to change depending on who I am playing. That was fun in a different way. What was tricky was figuring out where to do what and how much, and I would look at Abhishek to check if it was enough.

Also doing that burping, playing that uncouth guy who treats his son so badly and barely acknowledging the presence of his wife Swati, the way he pleads in front of his brother. Prabhakar is this spineless guy who's trying to be such a macho guy at home. And that’s so different to Umesh. It’s a contrast that I just loved.

Konkona, Swati is the strategist, the schemer. What drew you to her?

It was a very well fleshed out and very well written character. That was a great help, even in terms of the look that the costume designer and Abhishek had planned. They decided that she should look quite feminine but she’s a bit of a wannabe, with an aspirational edge. I followed that.

I never wanted to see it as there are crimes, or this is good, or what she’s doing is bad. I just wanted to make her as believable as possible. I really loved her self-belief. Nobody else really believed in her. (This beautiful balance is inherent within the writing of the screenplay - it is dark but it is also absurd, and funny.) She's someone who's done her work. Definitely not her family. Maybe her niece to a certain extent. In fact, her family's quite dismissive about her.

I couldn't bear Prabhu. I don't know why Swati married him. I didn't like the way the Shetty brothers treated her at all. I love the fact that she was steadfast. She had a greater purpose. She wants to open a restaurant, and in-between, men may come and men may go, but this is what she wants to accomplish. But she's not a great cook. She's done being married; her child is older, and she wants to do this for herself now. I think this quality of Swati’s is something many women will be able to relate to, including myself.

Manoj Bajpayee has a double role in Killer Soup.

Sayaji Shinde, are you an actor who likes to give inputs on your character?

I believe it is important for an actor to understand what is in the director’s mind. The actor doesn’t need to overthink and be too clever. I only look at the director. If he is happy, then that is enough. Playing Arvind Shetty was complicated because as the actor I knew it is Umesh playing Prabhu, but as Arvind, I had to act like I believe it is Prabhu. That was a challenge for me. Swati and Umesh know when the speaking style, body language, etc., change. They know their drama. We know there is some drama, but we are not supposed to know the actual drama.

Sayaji Shinde in Killer Soup, releasing on Netflix on January 11, 2024.

As a filmmaker, what was the biggest challenge for you here?

Abhishek: The biggest challenge was actually getting the story in place. I'm used to working in the feature film format, and this was like a seven-hour story. At the start, it was overwhelming, but I had a great team to work with. Anant Tripathi, Harshad Nalawade and Unaiza Merchant came to me with this idea. They had already written out quite a bit when they came to me. Thereafter, we worked on it together for two years.

Generally, if I was writing a film, it would take about eight months to a year. But this took a little over two years of intense work. The hardest part was getting the script right.

The reason why I took to this story was its mood, tone, flavour. Rarely do you get the opportunity to bring such disparate elements together and make them work. Finally, what comes out, doesn't feel extraneous. I think everything belongs to this world. That was exciting.

I personally really enjoy playing with different moods and genres in the same film. I think I have some skill in being able to do that. People have said that it's a bit of a departure from what I've done, but I don't think so. Besides it being set in South India, where I've been dealing with various parts of North India, exploring various dialects of Hindustani, that and the kind of social milieu it is. This is the world of upper middle-class people who in normal conversation would speak English. They are the kinds of people I have not dealt with much, but it's just so happened that way even though I have very easy access to that universe and could do it.

The use of the pseudonym ‘Manisha Koirala’ and the song ‘Tu hi re’ from ‘Bombay’. Is the show an homage to Mani Ratnam’s 1995 movie?

Abhishek: Yes, of course.

Manoj: I feel sad for that song and for the people who created it because after I have sung bits of it in the show, I feel I have ruined this song forever.

What can the audience expect from Killer Soup?

Sayaji: You cannot judge, you won’t be able to. So, just enjoy it.

Abhishek: It’s a lot of fun.

Konkona: I think it's very surprising, because there are episodes which are absurd, crazy, incredible. But there are moments of tenderness or some moments where this is a strange, inexplicable mood. You can understand something from an emotional point of view, you can appreciate it stylistically, so there are many layers and ways to enjoy it actually.

Manoj: Everything that you think is going to be, is not going to be. It is a never-seen-before world, never-seen-before interpersonal relationship, never seen before characters. It’s gritty, bizarre, unique, dark, quirky, humorous and, in the end, it is romantic.