Kannada web series trending

A wide variety of productions are lined up for streaming. Among the notable offerings are a political comedy, a murder mystery and a series about the travails of transgender people

TV serials are making way for web series in India. From stories about politicians to crime thrillers, content creators are making varied versions.

A rise in Kannada web series can be seen, the reasons being its crisp content and easily accessible format.

Film to web series

Comedy flick ‘Humble Politiciann Nograj’, which released in 2018, has now taken the avatar of a web series and is slated for release soon.

The series is produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Danish Sait and FirstAction Studios.

Director Saad Khan says, “After the film was a success and became the first Kannada film to get on Amazon Prime, Danish (who played Nograj) and I discussed and took a decision to work on season one of the web series, as a sequel, rather than a second feature film.”

The web series starts off where the film ends, Nograj becomes an MLA during a hung government taking the audience into resort politics. “It has 10 episodes. The series has Kannada, Hindi and ‘Nograj English’.”

Digital content has gained momentum owing to the pandemic plus the fact that moviegoers now have a more accessible and consumable platform for entertainment, he adds.

The format is different. Apart from the main plot, one has to also focus on the subplots in a series. “It demands writing watertight, implementing entertaining hooks, and using dynamic cliffhanger moments at the end of every episode,” Saad says.

‘Kargal Nights’, an action oriented-murder series, set in Shivamogga, is made in Kannada and Hindi. The shooting has been completed and the series is awaiting release.

The series will be in two seasons: the first will be spread over five episodes and the second will have 10 episodes.

Director Devaraj Poojary says, “Our story is based on real incidents. The attitude of nature can be seen through the series.” He wanted to explore web series as it is “more exciting than filmmaking”.

Shot in July, ready
to release

‘Psycho’, a crime thriller is ready for release. Director Raam Theja, is planning to release it on V4 Stream, and gradually expand to other platforms.

“We started shooting in July and got done in five days. We followed government guidelines and social distancing. We shot for around 16 hours and with minimal technicians,” he says.

The story is based on human psychology. The series has six episodes, 20 minutes each.

“Directing it has been a unique experience. Every episode needs a suspenseful end to keep the audience pinned to the series,” he says.

‘Fresh content hooks
audience’

‘Mangala’, a thriller series revolving on atrocities on transgender people, starring Kaavya Shastry and Ajay Raj, will start shoot soon.

Pruthvi Kunigal, director of the series says, “The script is ready, shoot was planned but the pandemic happened. The story will span across eight episodes around 45 minutes each. It is based on a harassment and rape of a transgender person. I read an article and started developing the plot.” Having written and directed the story, Pruthvi wanted to make a film initially.

“The story demands more time and detailing, which is why decided to make it a series. Entertainment lovers are now looking for fresh and good content and different formats, which is why series are trending now,” he says.

Lockdown hindered plans

Gourav MM started work on ‘Blue Slippers’ but the lockdown happened. The comedy-drama-suspense is a college-based story about roommates.

The series is supposed to have 12 episodes, and casting for the first two episodes was done.

“Having worked as an associate director in the industry earlier, working on a web series is different as they need a lot of detailing,” he says.