Dahaad makers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti: We watch crime thrillers incessantly

Basking in the success of Amazon Prime Video’s Dahaad - starring Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma and Gulshan Devaiah - one of Bollywood’s most acclaimed filmmaker duo Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti have once again proven their genius. Over the years, they have together created several critically acclaimed as well as blockbuster films and series - including Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, Gully Boy, Dil Dhadakne Do and Made in Heaven. 

Speaking about her collaborative process of filmmaking with Zoya, Reema told PTI, “One of us would get enamoured by just a line or idea, and then we start talking about it. We research and spend a lot of time building the story, before we get into the screenplay. So, that is the time when you build the world. I guess we are like a well-oiled machine now.” Meanwhile, the director duo are also working on their upcoming film, The Archies. A musical adaptation of the popular Archie Comics series, the film stars Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan, Vedang Raina and Agastya Nanda. 

Reema made her directorial debut with the 2007 film Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd, which was co-produced by Zoya. Together, they also founded the Tiger Baby Films production house in 2015. “Dahaad is our second outing with a crime thriller after Talaash (2012), and we are very excited about it because it’s got its own tone and it’s layered. It says a lot of things about women that we want to touch upon,” Zoya said at the trailer launch of Dahaad recently. 

Also read: Dahaad review: Sonakshi Sinha's tough cop play and Vijay Varma's spine-chilling act are reasons enough to binge this unnerving series

Clearly fans of crime drama shows, Zoya had said both Reema and her are keen on further exploring the genre as storytellers. “It’s a genre that we both like and watch incessantly. So, when you start talking about something that we have seen or read, you are like, ‘This would be interesting, it will be a great show’. Basically, it starts because we are viewers, and we then become creators because you want to make what you like to see,” she elaborated.

Also read: Zoya Akhtar at Dahaad trailer launch: ‘It’s a layered story that says a lot about women’

The story of Dahaad is set in a small town in Rajasthan. The eight-episode crime thriller follows the journey of sub-inspector Anjali Bhaati (Sonakshi) and her colleagues (including Gulshan) investigating a case of several women mysteriously found dead in public bathrooms.

Also read: Dahaad creator Zoya Akhtar: ‘Whatever genre it is, the challenge is to make an audience feel something’

Adding to what led to the creation of Dahaad - which was directed by Reema and Ruchika Oberoi - Zoya said, “Serial killers are scary, but they are fascinating as a viewer to watch. It just happens that these stories intrigue you. It is human nature, you feel intrigued to read what happened and who did it.”

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