Babita Singh Reporting producer Sudip Sharma explains why he refused to direct the cop drama

Nimisha Sajayan leads ‘Babita Singh Reporting’. Pics/Youtube, Instagram

A murder triggers a series of events in Babita Singh Reporting, as it does in many of Sudip Sharma's creations. But the Nimisha Sajayan-led film is different from Sharma's acclaimed works, Paatal Lok and Kohrra, on one count. This time, he serves as the executive producer, happy to let director Ambiecka Pandit and writer Amita Vyas take the lead.

Sudip Sharma is the creator and writer of the acclaimed ‘Paatal Lok' and ‘Kohrra'

Sharma's role on the movie was deliberately hands-off. He told Mid-day, "I feel lucky that now I am in a place where a writer trusts me with her well-written script, and Prime Video trusts me with its making. My role here was to find a good director, provide her with all the right resources, and then let her run with it. And Ambiecka has."

Sudip Sharma

The decision was also informed by Sharma's belief that the story required a perspective he could not personally bring. The thriller revolves around Sajayan's cop who, during a visit to her in-laws, begins investigating the murder of her childhood friend. "Nikhil Madhok [Head of Indian Originals, Prime Video] asked me why I wasn't directing it. My answer was that I didn't think I was the right person for it. The script had a nuance which surprised me. If I were writing the script, I wouldn't have been able to come up with the nuance because that's not my lived experience. Even if male writers try to bring the female perspective in their films or shows, it's second-hand. We can never beat the lived-in experience."

While overseeing Babita Singh Reporting, Sharma has simultaneously been working on his next. Interestingly, it's far removed from his dark and delicious offerings. "I am working on a comedy. I need a break from the dark stuff," he smiled.