Exclusive! Mukhbir - The Story of a Spy: Why Adil Hussain and Zain Khan Durrani didn't read the novel the series is based on

Adil Hussain and Zain Khan Durrani, the lead actors of the upcoming espionage web series Mukhbir - The Story of a Spy, play Ramkishore Negi and Harfan, respectively on the show. The story revolves around the journey of a secret agent from Kashmir, who shares information from Pakistan to Indian intelligence during the war of 1965 that changed the political fortune of India, Pakistan and Kashmir.

The show is written by Arshad Sayyed and Vaibhav Modi, and it is an adaptation of the novel Mission to Kashmir: An Intelligent Agent in Pakistan, written by Maloy Dhar.

In a conversation with OTTplay, the actors explain why they did not read the novel.

Zain said, " I did not read the original novel, but I did read the screenplay multiple times. I wanted to be in the world of the story that has been adapted from the book. You see, even though the story is derived from the book, I wanted to mould myself in the way the director imagined the character to be. Since the show is an adaptation, some parts of the story have been fictionalised and translated into the screenplay. So, I did not read the book."

Adil, who also did not read the book, tells us why, while giving us an example from early on in his career. "I remember when I was working with Ang Lee for Life Of Pi, I asked him if he wanted me to read the book. His prompt response was, 'No, please don't, because we will make a film. A book and film are two different mediums.' He was right, because our expressions change based on the format. We can share the same story differently in written word and in films. So, no, unless a director specifically tells me to read a book (if it is an adapted material), I only look at the script."

Life Of Pi, released in 2012, was an adaptation of the novel of the same name penned by Yann Martel.

Adil added, "I used the script as a springboard to understand the world and add my perspective. At the end of the day, actors are hired to only mimic the written words, but to put our thoughts into the narrative."

The web series Mukhbir - The Story of a Spy, directed by Shivam Nair and Jayprad Desai, also stars Harsh Chhaya, Satyadeep Mishra, Barkha Bisht. It will be available to stream on OTTplay and ZEE5 on November 11.