In the conventional love triangle or most Indian love stories, the agency rests with the male protagonist. But the newest Netflix dramatic-thriller disrupts this idea. The creators of Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein Siddharth Sengupta, Anahata Menon and Varun Badola describe the series saying, “If you are on the wrong side of the powerful, it is a problem. But what if they love you, and you don't? That's the basis of this story – a love that is more problematic than hate.”
Tahir Raj Bhasin plays Vikrant, the object of Purva’s (Anchal Singh) desire, fuelled by her father’s (Saurabh Shukhla) unchallenged power. Her desire for Vikrant deeply affects his relationship with Shikha played by Shweta Tripathi.
The principal cast shares insights into the themes of the show and their respective parts in a show defined as a “pulpy thriller”.
In what way is Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein different from other underworld/ love triangle/ small-town stories?
Tahir: We have come up with a term – ‘driller’, a drama thriller with a little bit of dark humour. The show is a genre-bender where every two episodes you go into a different genre. You start off as soft romance, then drama and then psychological thriller. Also in this love story you are seeing a lot more from the female gaze because the girl is passionately in love with Vikrant. There is also a reference to the Bollywood pulp tropes from the 1990s, starting with the title. Each person had their own interpretation of the title – which comes from a song from one of my favourite 1990s films Baazigar -- and my favourite interpretation is 'those dark eyes' meaning being watched over constantly by a power structure. This is the subliminal messaging.
At the start of the show, Vikrant says three things can ruin a man – money, power and a woman. Do you all agree?
Tahir: This line is within the context of the show which is in the genre of pulp. Within the world of that show is a woman who causes the central conflict, and within that context Vikrant must agree.
Anchal:
An extreme of anything can be ruining. In this story, the woman is ruining him. Otherwise having the right amount of money, power and companionship in life would not be a problem.
Anchal, Purva is the catalyst for all that happens in the show. What was your brief and process for finding the tone of this character?
I came on board just six days before the shoot so I had very little time to prepare, but I could wholly concentrate on getting into the character. I had workshops and also Siddharth sir gave me insights. Usually one is dependent on references and other people's point of view. For example, when an actor gets a character graph she is told to refer to so-and-so person or movie. But Siddharth sir’s approach was not to look for references outside but to go within; to understand her journey and her reasons. To understand Purva's psychology I had to get closer to the character. Doing this gave me a lot of confidence.
Tahir, you are playing a mild-mannered, slightly fearful character, who is living in a kind of pressure cooker. What attracted you to Vikrant?
I have never played a character who is an underdog and also of Vikrant's nature. The parts I have done so far have been mounted in a larger than life way, either in the persona that they bring on screen or the way they are shown and perceived. Whether Sunil Gavaskar in 83 or Derek from Chhichore. So the challenge was to play someone from a simple background who has simple dreams of settling down with the girl of his dreams and getting a good job. Yet it is the story of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances. I really believe that no one in art, or life, is all good or all bad. We ride a see-saw and there is that one last straw that pushes us off the edge. The challenging part and fun for me was how a series of circumstances lead him to tip that balance to change from passive to active in order to take on those extraordinary circumstances.
Shweta, is Shikha different from the other small-town characters who are victims of circumstance that you have played before?
I really like to play strong characters and as an actor I definitely want to explore as much as possible because not only are you exploring characters, but you are also exploring your own emotions. I consider myself very lucky that I am geting to do the kind of work that I want to do. I really get drawn to drama. I enjoy this genre the most. So I like strong characters but how you show strength varies. She does get scared. She wants to be with this man. It’s a simple story with simple dreams and the enjoyment is in the simplicity. Love is the driving force for her and for the story as well. So whenever I wanted to be strong I had to check myself and say no, I don't want to make Shikha like that. Besides the cast, director and script, I really wanted to do a love story, because love is beautiful and I have done content where either I am taking revenge (Mirzapur) or I am losing hair (Gone Kesh). But love was missing. I wanted love.
Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein streaming on Netflix from 14 January, 2022
Udita Jhunjhunwala is a writer, film critic, and festival programmer.
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