Bejoy Nambiar, Avinash Tiwary and others on what makes Kaala a special project

What do we expect from a thriller – crime, action, suspense and lots of twists? Disney+Hotstar’s Kaala makers look back at the show that made its mark last year. Marking its first anniversary this month, series makers reflect on what made the show special and if their vision behind the project came to fruit.

The show originated from filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar and cast actors Avinash Tiwary, Ritwik, Rohan Vinod Mehra, Taher Shabbir, Jitin Gulati, Elisha Mayor, Nivetha Pethuraj, Hiten Tejwani among others.

As Kaala celebrates its first anniversary today, filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar, Avinash Tiwary, Rohan Vinod Mehra, Taher Shabbir speak to WION about Kaala, the experience of working on the show and more.

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On celebrating one year of Kaala, filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar said, “It is always so delightful to see a project being received so well by the audience because ultimately they are the deciders and promoters of good content. With Disney + Hotstar’s Kaala, I always wanted to experiment with the genre and my style as a filmmaker and Kaala was a great window to channel that expression. I have always believed that an artist should break his glass ceiling and through our show, I will always be indebted to my team of writers, my cast and my crew who really put their heart and soul into making this passion project.”

Actor Avinash Tiwary who playedthe protagonist and IB officer Ritvik Mukherjee expressed his joy and said, “I love deciphering complexities of characters and I have been lucky enough to be trusted with some of the most complex characters navigating their ways in complicated waters. One of them has to be Ritwik in the phenomenal Bejoy Nambiar’ Kaala. He was a gray character well within the bounds of the law yet operating out of it because the situation demanded it and that intrigued me."

He added, "After Disney+ Hotstar’s Kaala, I could sense a change in me. We spent months shooting at real locations for the show and those memories, those lessons and those complex situations where we had to be quick on our feet are still fresh in my head. It’s surreal to celebrate a year to Kaala. It feels like I’m celebrating a personal milestone.”

Taher Shabbir, who essayed the character of Naman Arya said, “I have always viewed Kaala as a dark horse and our collaboration with a platform like Disney+ Hotstar and T-Series has taken the show to the next level. Playing a character like Naman Aarya has channeled so many emotions for me and tapped into an unknown side of me which was truly fulfilling and possible only with the guidance and help of Bejoy sir as my long-standing wish of working with him came true.”

Rohan Vinod Mehra, who played the role of an ex-army officer and Ritwik’s father said, "Kaala wasn’t an easy show to film, but it was an incredible experience. From the moment Bejoy narrated the flow of events to me, I was instantly captivated. It's a dream come true for any actor to portray such a complex character as mine in Kaala. Every actor yearns for roles that challenge them and dive deep into the realm of intricate and dark personas. For me, music is a big part of me when it comes to cinema, so, Kaala was a great mix of all for me.”

Kaala is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.