With Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Show receiving rave reviews, the show’s writer and director, Neeraj Pandey tells Christy Varghese that he would like to gradually step away from an active role in the franchisee
Think Neeraj Pandey, and the first thought that will probably hit you is his directorial-debut with A Wednesday, which went on to win numerous accolades.
With time, Pandey has produced more gems along the way, such as Special 26, Rustom and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. It appears that whenever he makes the news, it is always for the right reasons.
Consider this time, against the backdrop of his latest show, Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Show, courting critical acclaim, he still has his humble touch intact as he goes on to reveal how the Special Ops universe came to be, and what the future of the show might be, for him. Read on for excerpts:
What led you to conceptualise the Special Ops universe?
I had the idea of coming up with a series that was franchisable back in 2010, one that would be depicted on a scale that has not been seen before on the Indian digital screens.
We shared the idea with Hotstar some time back and everything clicked; and, as the saying goes, here we are.
So, before the first season was done, did you already have in mind that it would be followed by its prequel in the form of Special Ops 1.5?
Not really, we knew that the idea was franchisable, the brand was franchisable. However, we were not thinking that far ahead, back then. The Himmat Story was not there on the horizon at that time. However, it just happened and we were sure that the brand would work. The first season’s story came to an end with the last episode, and that was something we were not willing to bargain with — we did not want to produce multiple seasons revolving around the same story.
Each season will have its own independent storyline, culminating in a character arch that can be explored over the following seasons...
Special Ops released March 17, 2020. Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story released on November 12, 2021 and the second season is set to release next year, you seem to be on a roll…
Well, it is scheduled for next year but it is not set in stone that I would be directing this series for the rest of my life. We’ve got Shivam Nair, my co-director, who might take charge of Season 2 with another director; I believe he can do it by himself but we are yet to take a call on such vital aspects. A lot is happening behind the scenes, let’s see how it goes.
But is that feasible? Especially since you are one of the writers for the show, it goes without saying that you play a very pivotal role behind the scenes.
While I see my role coming down, I will be around for the entire team since this franchisee is something we are all very proud of and closely attached to.
In the capacity of a creator-writer, I will be around as a showrunner but I would like my role to be less and less, as we progress. At the end of the day, I would like the limelight to be on the show and not on me.
Maninder, the antagonist, has been making waves on social media. Especially with his role in ‘leaking the trailer’. What is his deal?
Maninder is that sort of a guy in the show, who resorts to every crooked method known to man, to achieve his goals. Releasing the trailer in that unconventional manner was a reflection of his tongue-in-cheek way of life. He is extremely pivotal to the show, that is all I can let on at this moment in time. (chuckles to himself)
(Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Show started streaming on Disney+ Hotstar yesterday.)