Wouldn't Mind Playing Hitler On Screen

SPEAKING about his recently released series, The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, Nagesh Kukunoor says with a smile, "I have done my best to break my image over the years."

- SHREYAS PANDE

The filmmaker is known for making tender, quietly reflective films about the underdogs and marginalized, be it Iqbal (2005), which revolves around a deaf and mute person who dreams of becoming a cricketer or Dhanak (2015), which explores an innocent bond between a brother and sister. In recent years, however, Nagesh has started exploring darker political realities through his stories, like in the series City of Dreams. He enjoys the freedom that comes with OTT. "We have been able to push the boundaries, tackle some topics, which I would never be able to do in a theatrical format," he says.

Yet, while making a show based on real-events like The Hunt, Nagesh was "wary of the political space". He says, "We've entered an era of self-censorship a long time ago. So even as writers, there's a constant question that you ask yourself of whether I should say this or not. When I am doing a fictional political show, it's all okay. But when you step out into the real world, you don't know whose toes you'll step on, so you want to steer clear of that."