Well known Bollywood actor Arjan Bajwa is hopeful of making a massive splash on OTT as well, courtesy his new ZEE5 web series 26/11 State of Siege.
He plays the head of the anti-terror unit which led the counter operation against 10 LET terrorists who attacked Mumbai in 2008.
Says Bajwa, “I still remember that horrific day. I was about to go for dinner with a few friends when I heard about a shootout in town (South Mumbai). This was quickly followed by the news of multiple shoot-outs all over. For a moment we could not understand how such a situation could happen. Soon there were barricades all over. 26/11 was indeed very serious; it was our 9/11.”
Here Arjan adds that since the incident is so etched in memory and, “also talks about people (his character is the Head of the unit Col Sunil Sharon) who risked their lives to save us. We had to make it as realistic as possible. The use of standard cinematic tools to raise drama was also off-limits.”
“Apart from weapon drills, we also underwent boot camp training to understand how commandos think and behave (code language). I had to knock off 7/8 kilos to look agile and fit,” says Arjan about his preps.
“I always wanted to essay an army officer; hence when this offer came my way, I grabbed it with both hands,” he states.
Arjan does not believe that the current Coronavirus scare will harm the show’s prospects. “Agreed on-ground promotions have been halted. But being an online platform, there is no need to step out. Instead, I think more people will watch this very much awaited series while being locked down at home.”
“Given the severity of the situation, we fully support whatever measures have been taken by the Government. Personally I too would call on everybody to be safe.”
Arjan does not think that there is a major difference between the web and cinema. “We have shot the show as a film. Also, the limited cine format duration was not enough to tell our more longish story.”
Arjan, who has given significant hits both in Hindi and Telugu films, is hopeful of emulating his box-office success online. “Web offers you some many interesting characters and stories.”
Talking about his B- Town journey, he says, “I have had a reasonably good run with big grossers like Guru and Fashion and, more recently Rustom, and Kabir Singh under my belt.”
In closing Arjan Bajwa adds that there is something more cooking in the cine front as well.
Best of luck, Arjan!!