Mumbai-based director spills the beans on filming one-take action thriller

Director and actor Hemwant Tiwari in a still from the action thriller

Bingewacthers around the globe are reporting unusual side-effects after watching Netflix's one-take thriller, Adolescence (2025). Common symptoms, we learn from their friends and family, include throwing around terms like camera rig and one-shot cinematography while panning out frames in the air with their fingers. We might have made some of that up, but the buzz around the show is still very real. So, when we hear that Mumbai's own Film City has birthed a similar ambitious one-take project, we catch up with Andheri-based director Hemwant Tiwari to chat about the secret sauce behind whipping up Krishna Arjun -
the single shot, dual role crime thriller.

The crew works on recreating the miniature cardboard model (right, on table) in Goregaon. PICS COURTESY/THE ONLY GODESS PRODUCTION

Much like the 1995 Salman Khan-Shah Rukh Khan starrer melodrama with a similar sounding title, Tiwari's film follows the classic trope of two brothers determined to avenge their father's death. Shot across multiple locations in Goregaon's Film City, the fast-paced film keeps us on our toes, and Tiwari - who dons the cap of the director as well as the twin protagonists - doubly so.

"One-shot films have been a long-time obsession for me. I watched possibly every single one streaming online last year to learn the art behind it. But I wanted to take the challenge up a notch," says the filmmaker. The first challenge, he reveals, was building a set that allows the non-linear plot to unfold across time and space. "With some help from production designer Ritika Nigam, we built a detailed miniature cardboard model of the central location before we set up the real deal. Since we had rented the locations for only four days, we had to ensure everything was in the right place," he recalls.

The cast rehearses a scene with the modular set in the background

This intricate set design stands out in two scenes. One where the story shifts from an external setting to the inside of a room flawlessly, and another where the camera seems to seamlessly walk through a solid wall. Giving us a peek into the conception of these Inception (2010)-inspired contraptions, Tiwari reveals, "That was made possible by moving parts and compact portable sets. A billboard in the external scene shot near Khandala Ghat in Film City, for instance, hid a secret room behind it that allowed us to take the story indoors in one single movement. As for the camera trick, the crew, with cinematographer Tribhuvan Babu Sadineni, set up rotating doors between rooms."

Just last week, we watched Adolescence (2025) co-creator Stephen Graham reveal in multiple interviews that the hour-long episodes sometimes took nearly 13 takes to perfect. Tiwari shares a more modest number you can count on one hand. "It should have been three, but the fourth take is what you see in the movie," he reveals. There's no numerology at play here, we're assured. "Nearly 35 minutes into the third take, we heard a click and there was a complete blackout. The generator had given up on us. But the cast was so engrossed in the take, that we actually went through the scene in pitch darkness," Tiwari recalls.

As commendable as Krishna Arjun's one-shot USP is, it would be remiss not to mention the layered themes that the film manages to dip into while keeping the cameras rolling. From conversation on the stigma associated with homosexuality, to commentary on the rigid Indian societal hierarchy, keep an eye out for subtle messages hidden in plain sight when you sit down for a viewing. And don't forget, you have only one shot.

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