Director Saurabh Bhave: Bihar and Maharashtra Politics Parallels

Writer and director Saurabh Bhave is an assistant director of Marathi films as well as a writer of many Hindi and Marathi films. He is the director of season 3 of the upcoming Sony Liv series 'Maharani'.

From Marathi Films to 'Maharani 3': My Journey

Have seen you directing Marathi films and OTT, tell us something about how you came on board for 'Maharani 3'.

The one who has created the universe of Maharani is Subhash Kapoor ji and this credit is completely his. He is a very senior director, and his idea behind this was that he hired a new director for every season. The director who was in the first season was not in the second season and the director of the second season was different and he approached me for the third season. The reason behind bringing in a new director every season is that if a new person joins a project then he brings a new perspective. When a new director joins, he brings his new vision and new ideas. It is also visible in the trailer that the visuals of Season 3 are different from the way they were in Season 2. In season 2, Maharani i.e. Rani Bharti had become the Chief Minister but in this season when she is in jail and Namit Kumar is outside, a different world has been created. For example, because Rani Bharti is in jail, the shade of her world is gray and black, whereas, because Namit Kumar is enjoying his power, his color has been kept vibrant. If we talk about how I got this show, I have known Subhash sir for some time. He liked my Marathi films very much. We had tried to work with each other earlier also because originally I am a writer. We planned that I would write something and Sir would direct it, we also did some work on it but nothing came of it. I remember getting a call from him in March 2023 to tell me that he had an idea in which he wanted me to direct. When I came to know about 'Maharani', the only thought in my mind was that I am not from Bihar and I grew up in Mumbai, so I do not have much idea. Sir told me that there is a team for this which will help me and sir himself will also be there to help me. He said that we tried to work together earlier also but it did not happen but now it would be good if we collaborate for this.

This show is based on the politics of Bihar and you are from Maharashtra, so while directing this show, did you notice any difference in the politics of these two states?

Politicians are all the same. The only difference is that the politics of Bihar and UP is always in discussion. The politics of Maharashtra is less discussed than the politics of the North. More emphasis has been given to the politics of Hindi-speaking states, hence it is visible in front of us also. There was a lot of drama in the politics of the 90s and early 2000s. Although Maharashtra politics has left no stone unturned in the last few years, it is also competing with the politics of Bihar and UP. Subhash sir was a journalist before becoming a director and he was also a political journalist, I have a lot of interest in politics, hence I also remain updated about the politics of the country and the world. Whenever we meet, these issues are discussed. We see the politics of Bihar in the newspapers too, but we face some difficulty in working with the language and culture of that place. But there was a team with us in which the writers were from Bihar, and I not only knew Subhash sir but also the entire team of Subhash sir. Manvendra, who is also playing a character in the show, used to be present on the set as a language coach. This is complete teamwork.

How was the experience of working with the entire star cast of the show?

It was great because the entire cast and crew of our show were like friends. We were all professionals but whenever there was a break, we used to play badminton together. As a unit, we were all very happy. I feel that the atmosphere on the set is reflected in the product.

Would you like to tell us something about your upcoming projects?

If I talk about direction, this is my first big project, and it has opened a lot of doors for me, so further talks are going on but there is nothing concrete yet regarding this thing. Before doing Maharani, I had some writing assignments, which I had to leave to direct Maharani. So, what I was already writing for some OTT projects, I started again after the shooting of Maharani was over.

Will you direct any Bollywood film next?

Why not at all, there was already interest in it. I had co-written Ayushmann Khurrana's film 'Hawaizaada'. I was a part of that entire film, I was present on the set when the shooting of the film was going on. I came naturally to Marathi films and hence I kept getting those projects. As I said, I have worked on some things with Subhash Sir earlier also, unfortunately, those things could not be revealed to the people, those projects got stopped somewhere which is quite common in the industry. In the future, you can see me directing Bollywood films.

You have worked with Huma in this show, would you like to say anything special about her?

It is a very commendable thing that she has no connection with Bihar nor does she come from rural India, but the way he has captured her mannerisms and accent for this series is praiseworthy. When she comes in front of the camera, she is Rani Bharti, she has played this character in Seasons 1 and 2, so now she is well aware of this character. I just want to ask Huma how she changed her saree so quickly or does she used any hack because in the industry it is said that if an actress goes to change her saree, it means a break of one hour, but Huma changes it in just fifteen minutes and Would come back.

 

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