New web-series Bang Baaja Baaraat is about coming together of two dysfunctional families as their kids plan to get hitched. Actor Ali Fazal shares with Shrabasti Mallik that the web is a new platform which has the potential to reach places where films cannot venture into
Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! was perhaps the first Indian movie that portrayed the big fat Indian wedding. Since then, numerous films have been made depicting marriages and everything associated with it. Yash Raj Films (YRF), on the other hand, is much loved for its dreamy romantic stories how it deals with the emotions of people.
Now bring these two aspects together and you get something called Bang Baaja Baaraat, a new web series that YRF has developed with actors Ali Fazal and debutante Angika Dhar apart from actors like Rajit Kapur and Neil Bhoopalam.
Ali’s first appearance on the big screen was for few minutes in 3 idiots and he subsequently followed it up with movies like Always Kabhi Kabhi and Fukrey. Taking about the concept and story of Bang Baaja Baaraat, Ali said that the show narrates a different love story. “It is a very rare and funny take on anything and everything that goes about during the days leading up to a marriage. The families belong to two very different strata of society and the story will focus on everything that almost, always, goes wrong,” said the actor.
In the series directed by Anand Tiwari and presented by Y-Films, a division of YRF will see Ali playing the role of Pawan, a chef in Mumbai who falls in love with Angika’s character, who hails from an affluent family in Delhi. “These two characters come from cultures which are poles apart and you will see events unfold in a very humorous way,” said the actor.
According to the actor, there was not much difference that he found between shooting for a web series and a feature film. “It was like any other Yash Raj film — with a proper set,” Ali pointed out and said that the first episode, which runs for an hour, was shot in 12 days. The entire story will be completed in five parts.
We came to know that the actor has never looked at web series as something off the ordinary. “It is like a film, divided in parts. It has been treated like a movie and YRF have left no stone unturned to add their signature — doses of glamour, fashion and drama,” he added.
So are web-series the next big thing for viewers, we ask. According to Ali, it is a different medium so there are very less chances of it dominating or taking over other mediums of entertainment. “It is a very interesting platform to be in. Your viewers are those who are net savvy and want content that is engaging, funny and does not take up much time. The window is also very little, unlike movies, and you have a limited amount of time to cater to them. Then, one also has to remember that online viewers have very little patience so, you have to get their attention,” Ali shared his thoughts.