Kaushiki was a great script and I love thrillers so it was a perfect fit: Suparn Verma

This is Verma's second webseries and is being produced by Big Synergy. Catch News caught up with Verma to get a little more insight into why he chose the digital medium.

Edited excerpts from the interview follow:

SB: Why did you choose to direct a web-series for OTT platform Viu?

SV: Kaushiki was a great script and I love thrillers so it was a perfect fit. Viu has been a great platform to work with because they have a great set up and some lovely people working with them who have supported us from day one.

SB: Do you think the web series space is about to explode in India as Netflix has up to seven originals coming out within the next couple of months?

SV: The web series space is going to get bigger and better with the audiences becoming more demanding and the target audience shifting completely to what creators have been making so far. This will help improve the quality of content we have been putting out so far.

SB: What was the most exciting part of shooting 13 episodes of Kaushiki?

SV: The challenge of shooting a complex script with so many layers, changing characters, motives and building the pace was the biggest challenge.

Also, trying to be as ambitious as I could be at the same time keeping shooting dates and budgets in check. In the end, it always comes down to having a great team and working together with everyone aligning themselves to a common vision.

SB: Will you be directing another web series after Kaushiki, and what about season 2?

SV: I hope there is a season 2, we already have an idea for a second one. It depends on how fast the creators pitch it and Viu gives green signal to it.

SB: As this is your first web series, how was it different from shooting a short or feature-length film?

SV: This is my second webseries, it’s different from a feature or a television show or a short because each involves a different style of storytelling and character building, the pace is different at times and so is the audience. I feel lucky to be able to dabble in all these different visual mediums and tell stories.

SB: Where do you think original TV series (web/television) will fit in?

SV: India has the richest culture of storytelling and I think we are entering the golden age in India as well, a little late but then is better than never. We have such a varied culture and people have so much of talent here that India will become a superpower of storytellers in a decade if we keep pushing ourselves.