Bobby Deol and Prakash Jha talk about the next edition of Aashram

Bobby Deol in Aashram

Having faced backlash for his crime drama, Aashram, Prakash Jha learnt early on that dabbling in a subject pertaining to religion can be tricky. However, the pros, he says, certainly outweigh the cons. Jha, who previously revealed that the subject holds promise among Indian cinephiles, tells mid-day that the next season will roll in a matter of a few months, should the situation be favourable.

"We will schedule our shoot when things improve. On one hand, things seem to be getting better, then we hear of a new viral strain doing the rounds," says the director, adding that while the first season was shot in Ayodhya over a three-month schedule, he is yet to arrive at the locations for season 2.

Prakash Jha

While Deol will return to front-line the series as a gangster in the guise of a god-man, Jha says several new characters will be introduced in season two. "I was certain that we had an interesting story. We gave the sub-plots and the various characters their due importance, which is why we could make it so engaging. Even then, I did not imagine that Aashram would receive the kind of acclaim that it did. Several key characters will also make a comeback in the new season."

Deol reveals that should the situation improve, the unit is likely to roll as early as in March or April. "We will try to release it as soon as possible. I haven't read the script yet, but it is exciting to play a character that is far distanced from an actor's persona. It pushes me to work harder so that people can see a side of me that they haven't. If people are responding well to my performance, it means that my hard work is playing off."

The first episode of the MX Player offering released in August, and a subsequent sub-part was made available online in October. Starring Aaditi Pohankar, Darshan Kumar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Tushar Pandey, and Anupriya Goenka, the show follows the conman Baba Nirala (Deol), who makes certain that his devotees continue donating their wealth to further his agendas.