Director AMBRISH VERMA, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA about his latest project DUDE, how he came up with the name and the reason for releasing it on YouTube
What is DUDE about?
The series is a detective-drama. The tag is: Ode to mothers. The story would not have existed if not for the mother of the protagonist. She goes missing when he was a a child. The films stems from here. On the oneset is it established that his mother is missing but the major screen part is spent on the case that the detective is trying to solve which is going to be his last case. The backdrop is him looking for his mother. The interesting part is how he how he goes looking for her which is not the usual conventional method.
So, there are two stories?
There is a plot and a sub-plot. The main plot is him looking for his mother, the sub-plot is how this is his last case where a young couple get a threat letter that their child will be kidnapped if they don’t vacant the newly bought house. By the end of it, both stories come together and gives him a closure about his mother.
Why DUDE?
It is actually an acronym for Detective Umesh Dhamija (DUD); he is Dude’s father. As you can see there is no E. Initially, in the plot, we had laid a lot of emphasis on the father but the script changed but one thing remained unchanged — the father continued to be conceited. DUDE, Detective Uttam Dhamija, always felt that it was his father who gave himself this acronym and the office people. Then the father retires and Uttam joins the firm, the tag continues.
Why did you choose to release it on YouTube?
There is a reason why I didn’t choose a big OTT platform to release it. The trend that has been seen that only those shows make it on big OTTs is when they have established themselves or the film or show is star-studded or backed by a big director or producer. For beginners, this is debilitating. I had written and directed this film and wanted certain freedom. If I had gone to a big OTT, they probably would have said: Who is this director? Let’s get another one on board for this project. This is okay since they have a checklist. But I wanted independence so I went with Rusk Media who gave me the freedom I needed.
Were there challenges faced to release it on YouTube?
The biggest problem was not that we had to shoot during the pandemic but the fact that the we had to change the script since it was written before the pandemic. The story has no reference to COVID-19. It would appear to be weird to make a show that has no mention of the virus or address. So we set up the set story in 2019. But then came the issue of mask. People everywhere were wearing it. This was a challenge; to shoot and ensure it didn’t look it was COVID-19 era.
It started with just a scribble. How did turn into a web series??
It is now five-episode series. When I started, I had just quit my job and started working as a creative producer. When you quit your job and you want to direct, nobody wants to pay you. I wrote DUDE because I knew no one would pay me and produce it like an indie-director. In July 2019, I met the CEO of Rusk Media. We discussed a few things and that is how it went forward.
What are the challenges young directors like yourself are facing?
First, good stories. There is no good content. There are so many hacks being made everywhere. As a director, one ants to work on fresh ideas. The same is true for actors as well. People should get bold when it comes to writing.
