The reason why Ram Gopal Varma made ‘Dhahanam’

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma recently produced the web series ‘Dhahanam’ and he reveals the reason behind making the show.

Ram told IANS : “So far all the crime dramas, political dramas that I have made as a filmmaker be it ‘Satya’, ‘Company’ they all are set in an urban area. One of the reasons why I found this story interesting is, it is set in a rural area, almost a remote area which is a lawless land.

“One of those places where even police fears to step in, even though criminal activities are happening there. When a story is set in a specific region, the place becomes a character itself as well as it impacts every character of the narrative. So, overall I found the story very interesting, demands a long format storytelling and web series is the best format for that.”

The show is directed by Agasthya Manju, also features Abhishek Duhan, Ashwatkanth Sharma, Naina Ganguly, Parvathy Arun, Ravi Kale among others.

Asked about why he decided to produce the show instead of directing it, Ram said, “As I mentioned that the region and culture is a crucial part of the story, I wanted a voice from there to direct the show. Now, Agasthya who is working with me for a long time also hails from that region of Andhra. I think he is the right voice for the show to direct.”

He went on adding, ” We must understand also that for a web show, the showrunner plays the most important part than just the director. For instance ‘Narcos’ has 19 directors, but the audience only knows the name of Chris Brancato, the creator of the show! That is how it works!”

As the show is also a milestone for Isha Koppikar who is making her web debut with the series, talking about casting her, Ram said, ” I think her character is the most relatable one, because she is the police investigating officer, coming from outside, entering the lawless land to resolve the criminal case. She is like the audience and the narrative unfolds through her lens to the audience. It couldn’t have been better casting.”

‘Dhahanam’ released on MX Player on April 14.