Thar director Raj Singh Chaudhary: You learn a lot just by being with Anil Kapoor and Satish Kaushik on the set

Thar is the result of director Raj Singh Chaudhary's two passions: western thrillers and his home state of Rajasthan. The filmmaker believed that the desert geography of Rajasthan provided the ideal setting for such stories because he had always been attracted to the genre. 

Chaudhary told Mid Day that he has always loved westerns and has been a fan since he was a kid. The filmmaker was a huge fan of western comics and novels. He is from a section of Rajasthan that is devoid of palaces and deserts. When he used to watch western movies, the director would remark how similar the terrain was to that of his state. As a result, Chaudhary wrote the tale based on this scenario.

The Netflix film, starring Anil and Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor, is about an antique trader who travels to a town where terrible killings have occurred. The team went on a thorough reconnaissance mission, looking for locations that would give atmosphere to the proceedings. 

Chaudhary shared that the most time-consuming part of the preparation was locating the locales that he had visualised. The creation of visual references was the second step of the preparation. For example, they designed a dhaba that did not resemble a typical dhaba. The makers also discovered an antique shop in Ajmer that matched the style of their film.

With a large portion of the drama shot in real locales, Chaudhary confesses that the filming was physically difficult, but it was also enjoyable. They would walk for half an hour while carrying equipment on their backs. When they became tired and sat down, Anil would keep going and urge, "Come on, let's go." 

The filmmaker concluded by saying that just being on set with Anil and Satish Kaushik teaches you a lot.

Thar also features Fatima Sana Shaikh as the female lead. The film will premiere on Netflix on May 6, 2022.