‘The idea is to own the IP 100 per cent’

The poster for Beyond Life and Death; (right) Vivashwan Chaudhary

When a show written by filmmaker Vivashwan Chaudhary got sold to a major production house, it gave him something every writer hopes for: validation.

"The experience gave me the confidence that my writing can actually sell," says the 29-year-old, who has worked as an assistant director on films such as Mere Pyare Prime Minister (2018) and Toofaan (2021), while also writing animated shows for networks including Pogo and Cartoon Network.

But the experience also taught him something else. In the film and streaming industry, selling a script does not necessarily mean retaining control over the story.

"Even though a producer likes your script, they most likely buy it off you," he says, "You won't get a share in the IP. They won't really care if you're part of the team or not. They just buy it off you and figure it out on their own."

So, when Chaudhary had a new story ready, he decided to try something different. "Why put so much effort into something and then sell it away?" he asks, "I'd rather produce it."

The result is Beyond Life and Death, an independently produced audio show, available on Spotify, that blends science fiction with spirituality, reincarnation and ideas of karma. The show follows a man who is reborn as the son of a woman he sexually assaulted in a previous life. As an adult, he grows into a troubled physicist determined to understand the mysteries of rebirth - and whether the universe can be decoded through science.

"It is deeply rooted in philosophy," Chaudhary says, "We've tried decoding the algorithm of the universe through our Upanishads - through karmic laws, how karma works, how rebirth happens, and what moksha is. All of this is explained through science fiction."

The story had been written around two years ago, but Chaudhary was unsure whether to turn it into a book or an audio show. He eventually chose the latter, partly because it could serve as a working prototype for producers. "If I put it in front of a producer, they can listen to it and get a good idea of the vibe of the show and what to expect," he says, "It becomes a proof of concept."

The audio show could offer something a screenplay could not: proof that audiences were already interested. "I wanted proof of audience," he says, "The feedback, the response - everything could be added to the pitch deck so that it could later be turned into a web show."

Chaudhary funded the project himself, bringing together actor friends, paying them for the recordings and eventually hiring a post-production team. "The idea was to own the IP 100 per cent," he says, "I put in my own money and my own resources."

The process took close to a year. Once the recording was completed, post-production took another two months. But the gamble appears to have paid off. Within a month of its release, Beyond Life and Death has crossed 14,000 views, while around 200 listeners had reviewed the show.

"Now that I have an audio show, I have an established IP," he says, "It's an IP that is loved by the audience."

The show is also in talks for a non-exclusive licensing deal from Kuku FM, allowing Chaudhary to retain ownership and keep it available on his own platforms while earning a share of the platform's revenue. "That gives me the confidence that owning IP can really help you in the long term," he says.

For now, Chaudhary is focused on growing the show's audience and developing its second season. But the larger goal remains unchanged: to eventually turn Beyond Life and Death into a web series with a major studio backing it, but without giving up the story that he built.

"I'm going to campaign for the web show from here," he says, "The next step is to elevate it, package it, and take it to a major studio."

For a filmmaker accustomed to pitching stories in boardrooms, Chaudhary has found a way to reverse the process. Instead of asking producers to imagine what his script could become, he has made it himself and is now inviting them to listen.