Exclusive! Mukesh Chhabra on Kafas: The show isn't about the entertainment industry, but...

The casting director also plays an important character in the web series Kafas, which stars Sharman Joshi, Mona Singh, Mikail Gandhi, and Vivan Bhatena

Mukesh Chhabra

The story of the recently released web series Kafas revolves around a child actor who is sexually abused by his co-actor on set. This has helped restart conversations about the casting couch and sexual harassment at the workplace.

Mukesh Chhabra is a prominent casting director and actor who has played a pivotal role in Kafas. OTTplay spoke to him recently about the response the team has been getting from the audience and more.

"We are getting an amazing response for the performances of every actor in the show. People have also been appreciating the way we have handled the subject. Child sexual abuse is a very sensitive topic, and exploring that through a six-episode show is both interesting and challenging. We were walking on eggshells because if we went slightly overboard, people would end up hating the show. If we are too subtle, then people might think that we have sugar-coated a harsh reality and shown a sanitised version of it. So, we had to be very careful with how much to project and how much to leave for the audience to interpret. When you watch it as an audience member, you know that there is some truth to it, but it is a balanced view. Since we have been receiving a lot of love, we are happy."

In the show, Mukesh plays a journalist named Irfan Akhtar.

The story of Kafas is about how a superstar, who is a sexual predator, tries to silence his victim by offering a huge sum of money.

Asked if audiences might perceive the film industry in a negative manner, Mukesh said, "I think the film industry is just a backdrop, and the show is not about the industry. It is the story of a child who is the victim of sexual abuse. It is also about his parents and how they deal with what's happened. We have shown how the story of a broken family, in which each member has their own emotional battles to fight, their trauma, insecurities, affairs, and other complicated ties. It is about how, eventually, they come together under a certain situation and how they deal with it. That way, it is the story of a family."

Kafas, a six-episode web series, is directed by Sahil Sanga and stars Mikail Gandhi, Sharman Joshi, Mona Singh, Preeti Jhangiani, and Vivan Bhatena. It is available to stream now on SonyLIV.

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