Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt says those in the spotlight do not make frivolous shows. He also opens up why he confessed about his affair with Sushmita Sen and regrets cheating on his wife
Vikram Bhatt
Vikram Bhatt
This one is not inspired by any singer,” Vikram Bhatt says vociferously about his upcoming web show, Spotlight 2, which chronicles a singer's fall from fame and subsequent rise to stardom. That this revelation comes so animatedly is no surprise. The show's first instalment was rumoured to be based on Kangana Ranaut since it highlighted the murky underbelly of Bollywood through the eyes of a newcomer from Himachal Pradesh, a claim that Bhatt constantly refuted.
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Set to return to the video-streaming platform, Viu with the second season, Bhatt tells mid-day that he admires painting fictions off dark subjects, given that they “make people think”, and reasons that his “sobered” life, much at odds with his gritty imagination, lacks sufficient fodder to make for an interesting biopic.
Why have you chosen to immerse yourself in web shows?
The digital platform is the future. Everything has moved online — books, retail and groceries too. So, why shouldn't theatre go digital? The first screen of preference is the cell phone. It is only natural that I cater to it.
Are you turning Spotlight into a franchise? What is the second series about?
Spotlight will be a franchise. The first part had 10 episodes. Spotlight 2 will be a 13-episode show based on a singer who grows too big for his boots. It chronicles his journey as he falls from fame, and then, strives to make a comeback. My leading man is flawed; a drug addict who has been used, abused and loved. And, the series is not inspired from any singer's life. It is purely a work of fiction. It will be the first musical Indian web series.
Why didn't you rope in an actor who could sing, choosing instead to cast Karan V Grover?
It wasn't necessary. Also, I've retained a few artistes from my previous web shows, including Harish Sanganay and Ankit Sharma, who has rendered a few songs in this show.
Also read: Vikram Bhatt: When you become successful, love becomes rare
Tell us about the sequel to your web show, Twisted.
It's being planned. It is about an adult star accused of murder. Pia Bajpai and Rahul Raj will be back as CBI investigators.
Do you have a fixation with thrillers and horrors?
I love the paranormal; anything dark. Sci-fi also interests me. I enjoy working on stories that make people think. It's a common concept that people who are in the light, prefer dark stories. I don't enjoy making frothy and frivolous shows.
What prompted your recent confession about an affair with Sushmita Sen and regret of cheating on your wife?
I didn't want to speak about my personal life. It was an interview on my book, but the questions pointed towards my journey instead.
Sushmita Sen
Also see: Photos: 27 failed romances in Bollywood
You also spoke about encountering depression.
Luckily, I have come out of it. That phase of my life is over.
Have you considered fashioning a book on your life?
I have tried to narrate parts of my life in Ankahee (2006), but, I don't have a happening life anymore. With age, I have sobered down. My friends say I've become boring and don't have enough fodder for gossip.
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