Shaitan director Mahi V Raghav: Regardless of how civilised we’re, violence is a key part of our existence | Exclusive

The filmmaker spills the beans about the world of his upcoming crime thriller that streams on Disney+ Hotstar tonight

Mahi V Raghav on Shaitan

Mahi V Raghav’s show Shaitan, that releases tonight on Disney+ Hotstar was embroiled in controversy in the past few days with its raw depiction of violence and dialogues in its promos. A day before its release, the filmmaker looks visibly tired while reinstating his views on the issue while fielding questions from journalists across interviews.

The Yatra director maintains he’s only portrayed the truth of his characters, their conflicts, backdrops without any attempt to sensationalise the treatment. “We all may wear different attires or grow up in a so-called civilised world, but I believe we’re as flawed, shady as the characters we’d witness in the story. While interacting with cops, outlaws, lawyers and other sections of the society, I realised the inner core of every human is the same.”

“Someone whom you perceive as a criminal was forced to behave in a certain way to survive. They don’t see themselves as criminals but as victims of circumstances,” he says. With Shaitan, Mahi was clear about the story he wanted to tell and ensured the setting was as organic and authentic as possible. There’s no attempt to exaggerate; the story and the treatment work seamlessly, he clarifies.

Reacting to the gore in the show and stating why violence remains an integral aspect of the vastly-consumed OTT content across the globe, the filmmaker believes that conflict has always been an inseparable part of human existence from the days of Mahabharata. “However civilised or developed we’re, conflicts won’t cease to exist - it has been an integral part of our human race. Just because we consider ourselves human and not animals, you can’t say we’re above violence.”

He admits crime thrillers like Shaitan are formulaic, they’re driven by a tried and tested template, revolving around the highs and lows in an outlaw’s life. “It’s same with Pablo, Narcos, Mirzapur. The difference lies in the characters and the worlds that they belong to. Their drama will vary. I didn’t have a reference point for Shaitan. These are about people who commit crimes out of rage, emotion while not seeking power or wealth. Their stories too deserve to be told.”

Shaitan breaks many stereotypes associated with the genre, he insists. “They’re not seeking any position or stature, but are only looking to survive. At some level, society is responsible for them to tread that path. Neither are we saints nor are they purely evil. This is not a glorified crime drama, but I see it as a human drama. The characters are merely trapped within a spiral of violence and do what it takes to safeguard themselves.”

Roping in a relatively unfamiliar cast, non-Telugu speaking actors like Rishi, Deviyani and Lenaa Kumar wasn’t intentional and only done as per the needs of the script. “I take care of two aspects while casting - they must fit the part and suit our budget needs. They all ticked the boxes perfectly and on another level, I feel actors have no barriers. We took auditions of actors across the country and it didn’t matter where did they come from.”

Much like box office, the digital space isn’t beyond the number game too - OTTs lock shows with an expectation to rake in a certain number of subscribers with every release. How does he deal with the pressure? “Every medium has its own yardstick to measure how people are lapping up a show and it should add value to their customers. As filmmakers, we must be responsible, do our best but can’t let that pressure affect us. Learning from every project is the key.” He signs off.

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