The trailer for Voot Select's upcoming web series 'Ranjish Hi Sahi' was released on Tuesday, 4 January. The emotional love triangle stars Tahir Raj Bhasin, Amrita Puri and Amala Paul in leading roles. Set against the backdrop of the golden era of 1970s Bollywood, the series is created by Mahesh Bhatt and directed by Pushpdeep Bhardwaj.
The show revolves around a brilliant film director who gets involved into an extra-marital affair with an eccentric superstar while being married to his first love. Tahir Raj Bhasin portrays filmmaker, writer and producer Shankar Vats in the series. Amrita Puri stars as Shankar's wife Anju and Amala Paul plays Bollywood actress and Shankar's love interest Amna Parvez. It promises to be an intense drama as the show explores passion, trust, marriage, loyalty, stability, obsession, and separation in a relationship.
The Bhatt family is known for its excellent music and the trailer gives us a sneak peek into the series' soundtrack composed by Aabhas and Shreyas with tracks sung by Rekha Bharadwaj, Vishal Mishra, Javed Ali and Ash King.
Talking about the show, director Pushpdeep Bhardwaj said, “With so many thrillers and crime shows being made, I was keen on making a dramatic love story with music at its core - something that could stand out. Through a lot of research and a lot more conversations, 'Ranjish Hi Sahi' came into being. An attempt to bring out complex human emotions, based in the Golden Era of the film industry: the glorious 70’s. Recreating this world amidst today’s testing times, was nothing short of miraculous, and this wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of all those at Jio Studios. Now that the show is finally ready, I am beyond thrilled and can’t wait for the audiences to witness our labour of love!”
Tahir Raj Bhasin shared his thoughts on playing the lead character and said, “When I was narrated the script of this unique love story, I was instantly gripped by how layered, Shankar, the character is. What drew me to the part was the challenge of a romantic drama where the protagonist is torn between the love of the two women in his life. Shankar blurs the lines between a vulnerable romantic and an authoritative rebel. Playing him was a complex emotional roller coaster but most of all it was a whole lot of fun.”
Amala Paul, who makers her Bollywood debut with the show, added, “When I received a call from Vishesh Entertainment to play this character, my reaction was, ‘Wow! Do I actually resemble a Bollywood superstar from the 70s?’ I was ecstatic; a feeling I cannot put into words but at the same time there is a huge sense of responsibility. The character of this Bollywood diva had a fierce and unapologetic personality; to translate that kind of energy on-screen was challenging. It was like a game of imagination, but I did a lot of research. It was surely an enriching experience.”
Talking about her character Anju, Amrita Puri added, “Anju’s simplicity is her strength. Getting into the skin of her character was a learning experience for me. Her life and the times in which she lived are both so different from mine. She is extremely resilient and the reason why the family sticks together. I was amazed with her empathetic nature and capacity to forgive. It’s not easy being a homemaker and the emotional backbone of the family. It gave me a new perspective on things.”
Watch the trailer here
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Seeing the trailer, it is being speculated that the series is based on Mahesh Bhatt's own extramarital affair with Parveen Babi. Amala Paul also looks strikingly similar to the 1970s actress. The filmmaker had brought out his personal story earlier also in his own 1982 film 'Arth' starring Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Shabana Azmi, and Smita Patil in lead roles.
Produced by Mukesh Bhatt and Jio Studios, 'Ranjish Hi Sahi' will start streaming on Voot Select from January 13.
