Exclusive! Tigmanshu Dhulia on making Garmi: I wanted to revisit my first film, Haasil

Tigmanshu Dhulia-directed Garmi is the latest political thriller series on Sony LIV, which stars Vyom Yadav, Puneet Singh, Veeneet Kumar and Jatin Goswami among others. Famous for making films like Paan Singh Tomar, and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, the talented moviemaker spoke about his latest show, casting and more in a candid chat with OTTplay. Excerpts:

Tell us about your inspiration for Garmi, and what is it all about.

The idea came to me for thinking that I should revisit my first film, Haasil, possibly get into that world again, and see after 20 years, what has changed. And that's how they kind of started developing the idea. Let's get back to the college case. And see how the world has changed and certain news stories of stories on the same, but the world is.

Also, we've seen that all the politics, fights and intense scenes are going on in the trailer, is there any romantic angle in the show as well?

Yes, of course. That is the time when you know, youngsters, get out of their homes, and they experience freedom for the first time. So they're blooming at the time. So how can you wait and how can you not touch that part of their personality and their environment? Which is romance.

The audience connects to the protagonists of your projects due to their ordinary and natural looks, who would mostly be seen as character actors in other films or shows. How do you see a protagonist in them?

Because, you see these people in real life, you see a lot of real-life heroes around you, who are struggling to make ends meet from different ends of society, their struggle and their heroes. So, it is very good that audiences are kind of now, accepting these kinds of these faces and their stories, which are not formula-driven like earlier films used to make a formula for it that the hero has to be very good-looking. So, I think that that age has passed.

Sir, we've seen you showcasing rural India and small towns through your lens a lot. Is this something that you feel responsible to do as there is a majority of people in India unaware of that world?

I know that world well. Very well. Since I moved to Bombay, I mean, my only experience with small towns is when I go out there for shoots. Yes, I know that word. So that is one of the stories I choose usually revolves around that environment and those characters who are connected to life.

You worked as a casting director in Bandit Queen and years later you directed Paan Singh Tomar, which is also a real-life story from the same world. Would you say that at some level you were inspired by Shekhar Kapoor's film?

I got to know about Paan Singh Tomar while we were researching for the film, but then that research is handed over to different departments. So we were researching and on a Sunday magazine, I read this article, once in a while, it was just a one-page article about this character who was in the army. He was an athlete national champion and became a bandit. So that story kind of appealed to me, so I was aware of Paan Singh Tomar when I was researching. So obviously, when I started making films, I picked up the same story.

The climax of your 2020 show The Great Indian Murder was mind-blowing, when can we expect the second season to be out?

We are kind of working on the script. Introduction which still waiting for the platform to say go ahead.