Dream Girl director Raaj Shaandilyaa collaborates with Nana Patekar for UP police cybercrime ad

Nana Patekar in the cybercrime ad

The collaboration between director Raaj Shaandilyaa, of Dream Girl franchise fame, and Nana Patekar dates back to Welcome Back (2015). So, when ASP Rahul Srivastava of the Uttar Pradesh Cyber Crime unit approached the filmmaker-actor duo to create a short film on cyber security and digital arrest scams, the decision was a no-brainer.

"The ad is about an elderly couple, who is asked to pay up by a fraudster threatening to implicate him in a money-laundering case. However, Nana turns the tables on him," explains Shaandilyaa. He adds that the video aims to educate the public about cybercrime and digital arrest scams, which are rampant these days.

Raaj Shaandilyaa

The five-minute and 30-second ad was shot in November last year at an Andheri East studio. While the duo has worked together before, it did not eliminate the nervousness the director felt. "We shot in just four hours as he had other commitments. Nana is a fantastic actor, just like a coconut - hard on the outside and soft inside. He has his own andaaz. Unke saath darr ka mahaul toh rehta hai as he is very particular about what he wants, but it was never so with me. You just need to make him comfortable in his space. If he likes someone, he will go all out for them," smiles the director.

Shaandilyaa adds that the two have also discussed collaborating on a feature film together, "maybe within a year."

Latest cybercrimes

£ Digital arrest scams
£ Malicious download scams
£ Fraudulent gaming and money-making apps
£ AI-driven voice/identity cloning
£ Sim-related fraud
£ Cloning official website/data harvesting