SHAPER Οf CONSCIENCE

The ever reticent filmmaker Rajkumar Gupta opens up to Rachit Gupta about his decision to make a series on Big Pharma and more

- Rachit Gupta

Rajkumar Gupta’s guerrilla style of filmmaking caught everyone’s attention in his first film, Aamir (2008) itself. He’s one of the few filmmakers who goes beyond the obvious and comes up with a new narrative every time. His films not only entertain, they also make you aware of the faults which exist in our society. Whether it was No One Killed Jessica (2011) or Raid (2018), they were sharp, edgy projects that left an impression when they were released and are extremely watchable even today. He has segued into the long-form format with Pill, an expose on the wrong doings of Big Pharma. The show, starring Riteish Deshmukh in the lead, dives deep into the murky waters of Big Pharma and corruption, a subject rarely explored in Indian entertainment. Pill stands out for its meticulous research and Gupta’s nuanced portrayal of the pharmaceutical industry’s ethical dilemmas. The series doesn’t shy away from presenting uncomfortable truths about corruption, profiteering, and the moral ambiguities that plague big pharma. Gupta’s storytelling is complemented by Riteish Deshmukh’s compelling performance, which adds depth to the series’ exploration of power dynamics within the medical world. While Pill successfully unearths the unsettling reality of pharmaceuticals, it also showcases Gupta’s adaptability to the evolving grammar of long-form storytelling, a format he has embraced with surprising ease. In this candid interview, Gupta opens up about his creative journey, the challenges of web series production and his commitment to telling stories that matter, including his upcoming sequel Raid 2 with Ajay Devgn. Read on...

HOW DID YOU ZERO IN ON THE IDEA OF MAKING A SHOW ON BIG PHARMA?