Avinash, directed by Neerraj Pathak, is returning to JioHotstar with its second season. Based on Inspector Avinash Mishra, the show is headlined by Randeep Hooda along with Rajniesh Duggall, Freddy Daruwala and many others. During the shoot of the franchise during the COVID-19 years, the series fell prey to social media leaks. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, the team of Inspector Avinash season 2 opened up about how leaks could kill the magic and surprise factors for which writers, directors and actors work hard. Calling it a ‘horror story’, Neerraj, Randeep, Freddy and Rajniesh said it is difficult to contain it, especially in the digital media era.
Inspector Avinash 2 director reacts to social media leaks
Talking to us (Zoom) exclusively, Inspector Avinash season 2 director Neerraj admitted that it is the most tragic thing to happen in a creator’s life. “Jab bhi aisi koi cheez hoti hai aur hum saalon laga dete hai usko likhne mein, actors ka look design karne mein. Hum look wrap karke rakhte hai lekin aajkal shoot se bahar aa jata hai. Yeh joh magic hum create karna chahte hai and the surprise gets leaked, bohot dukh hota hai. Hum control karne ki koshish karte hai. Jab Randeep jaise actors apne look pe itna kaam karte hai, jaise unhone Swatantrya Veer Savarkar pe kiya aur ispe bhi, agar uski clip aa gayi pehle, it gives away the surprise. Iska dukh bohot hota hai aur hum dhyan bhi rakhte hai ki na ho paye. Leak is a leak. People behind it get money. Yeh toh challenge rehta hi hai,” he shared. (Translation: We put in years to create a story. The actors change their looks. But, everything gets leaked. The magic we want to create and surprise the audience can be watched on a phone. It hurts. We do try to control it. When actors like Randeep, who change their looks with every new project, a leak gives away the surprise. Yes, it is terrible and we are trying to control it. Leak is a leak. People behind it get money. This is challenging.)
Randeep Hooda feels leaks are done on purpose
Randeep further added, “I have a sneaky suspicion that some of it is done on purpose, and it is a great PR peg. I feel a lot of it is done on purpose. It is tragic, but a lot of people use it to their advantage and make a hullabaloo out of it.” Neerraj agreed to what Randeep said and shared, “Agar kisi film ya series mein intimate scene hai, the actor’s PR team purposely gets it out, calls the police, a havoc create hota hai phir audience ko lagta hai, ‘Accha, kya hai ismein?’” (Translation: If a film or show has intimate scenes, the actor’s PR team purposely gets it out, calls the police, a havoc is created. The audience then believes something controversial is in the project.) Freddy, who plays the Home Minister in Inspector Avinash season 2, believed that if leaks are contained, it could help an actor grow in his career. Rajniesh and Randeep further agreed that it is difficult to contain leaks, especially while shooting at real locations.
When Inspector Avinash team faced leak threat
Rajniesh recalled, “We were shooting in Rishikesh and Rajasthan, those people were taking live videos and they were out within an hour. So, what do you do?” Neerraj concluded by saying that leaks are almost impossible to stop because it is difficult to hire security of that level to guard the crew on real locations. “People will sneak from their homes, kitchens etc. How much security do we hire for this? According to him, the solution is to create indoor sets where nobody else can see what is happening. But, this also comes with a demerit of feeling not authentic enough.
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