Drama in UNIFORM

NEERAJ PANDEY HAS MANAGED TO ROPE IN THE LEADING STARS OF BANGLA CINEMA FOR NETFLIX'S KHAKEE: THE BENGAL CHAPTER

- Suhani Singh

Even before Khakee: The Bihar Chapter (2022) became one of Netflix’s most popular Indian originals, its creator Neeraj Pandey knew he wanted it to be a franchise, one that could travel to a new state each season. With the viewership defying expectations, Pandey got the green signal.

In its second run, Pandey has a homecoming of sorts, having set the show in Kolkata, where he grew up. “Everything has changed now and in a way nothing has changed too,” says Pandey, who was raised in Howrah. “I find that dichotomy every time I come here, that’s the beauty of Cal [Calcutta].”