Aiming for mass appeal, Ruchi Narain on directing Raveena Tandon-led Karmma Calling, an adaptation of American drama Revenge
Ruchi Narain
In 2013, director Ruchi Narain was set to helm the Indian adaptation of popular American drama, Revenge. Anil Kapoor’s 24 had released, and it seemed that Indian TV was ready to experiment with limited series format. However, things didn’t materialise then. But now, over a decade on, the show has called out to her again, and the result is Karmma Calling, led by Raveena Tandon.
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The director is thrilled that things materialised with Tandon, who was her first choice since she saw Revenge. “I had even approached her then. But at that time, her kids were young and she wanted to focus on them. But today, as they have grown up, she is hungrier than ever. She also brings effortless glamour to the screen. It has been a pleasure working with her because she doesn’t throw her weight around. In fact, the cast had such a lovely camaraderie that one day, I had to shout at all of them because they kept laughing while shooting a scene. I felt like a school teacher,” she laughs.
Varun Sood and Raveena Tandon in Karmma Calling
The upcoming Disney+ Hotstar series follows the protagonist as she spins a web of lies and deceit to maintain her position in the glamorous social circle of Alibaug. For Narain, who previously helmed Kiara Advani-starrer Guilty (2020) and Lara Dutta’s Hundred (2020), Karmma Calling is a conscious step to expand her audience base. “I’ve received critical acclaim for my work in the past, but now I want to reach the maximum audience possible. Sometimes, it’s fun to just look at an actor’s clothes in a scene. I wanted to make something desi, dramatic, but also glamorous. Gaurav Banerjee [content head, Disney+ Hotstar] told me, ‘The intellectuals and your friends should hate you after the show.’ I thought that’s a good brief,” she says.
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