Exclusive! Director Abhilash Reddy discusses how he filmed ZEE5's Loser Season 2 in just over 70 days

Filmmaker Abhilash Reddy, who impressed one and all with his deft treatment of a complex sports drama like Loser on ZEE5 in 2020, is back with its second season that'll stream on same platform this weekend. The show's ensemble star cast comprises names like Priyadarshi, Kalpika Ganesh, Shashank, Harshith Reddy, Dhanya Balakrishna and Pavani Gangireddy in key roles. The filming of Loser's second season had commenced in August 2021 and was wrapped in a little over 70 days. The director tells OTTplay.com how it was possible to shoot a five-hour-long show under three months.

"We went to the set with a mindset of shooting five minutes of content every day. When the targets are high, I have to be very clear with my shots and can't leave anything to chance on sets. We can't afford any last-minute confusion. In contrast, I'll have a lot of luxury while working on a feature film because I'll be shooting two minutes of content and have all the time to put my creativity into it. The web show experience has helped me so much that I'm ready to face any situation and still find my way," he says.

However, isn't it slightly frustrating for a filmmaker to work under stringent deadlines at a breakneck pace, being left with very little time to reflect or check what they had just filmed? "When you see it from an OTT platform's perspective, it's natural for them to expect a show to premiere by a particular time and we cannot do anything. They're completely right from their view. As a filmmaker, my priority will be quality and I'll always be when I have more time to better it. This is a never-ending debate and there can't be an answer to it."

Abhilash further says, "I can shoot the same content in two years and even thirty days; everything boils down to the budget and timing. Luckily for me, I had a team of technicians and actors whom I was very comfortable with. So, the deadlines didn't affect us as much." The director, a product of Annapurna College of Film and Media, had debuted with a web show titled Ekkadiki Ee Parugu and also has a third season in mind for Loser. He has committed to a feature film whose shoot is expected to commence shortly.