With the recently released Apharan 2, fans were treated to double the action, entertainment and thrill as compared to the first season. Starring an ensemble cast like Arunoday Singh, Nidhi Singh, Saanand Verma and more, the second season has garnered the attention of it’s audience. The second season of Apharan is directed by Santosh Singh.
Apharan season 2 revolves around Rudra juggling between his professional duties and personal life which is at stake. One one hand Rudra needs to find a cure for his wife’s addiction and on the other track down a wanted criminal in Serbia. The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) sends the cop Rudra (Arunoday Singh) to Serbia to capture Bikram Bahadur Singh, a wanted criminal who is responsible for the death of 9 Indian RAW agents in one month. It is an 11-episode series that showcases the thrilling moments of Rudra’s life.
Santosh Singh, the director of Apharan 2 spoke to IWM Buzz and here is what he had to say about the series and the aspects of shooting and directing Apharan 2.
1) As Apharan 2 has released, what has been your reaction once it was on-air and before it was going to release?
Hmmm so before the release first, there was lot of excitement and nervousness it was like waiting for your school results to come out. I could feel it. I remember on the day when the teaser was to come out I was sitting inside the Golden temple hoping and praying that all the hard work we all have done for the past 2 years on apharan pays off. And it did!
Post release, the nervousness has gone and it’s only a feeling of excitement
2) How did Apharan 2 come to you?
Well, apharan one of those series that I truly enjoyed watching and I remember telling my wife that I want to direct something like this. Guess what? Just two years later after finishing fittrat, I was wondering what’s next for me, I was called for a meeting by Baljit chadda (head of content Alt balaji) and Tanveer Bookwala my producer of fittrat and apharan season 2. They wanted me to direct apharan! I read the script and loved it enough to immediately come on-board.
3) Arunodoy Singh has been a major character in the series, be it season 1 or . How did you mould him as Rudra Srivastva?
Arunoday singh is a director’s actor and an absolute delight to work with. Initially I think we both had lot of apprehension about working with each other. But once we started our readings and talking about the characters the word apprehension just disappeared. For us the challange was how make Rudra and BBS two different people so they both stand out yet look believable. He’s extremely talented and his dedication towards his work is next level. Things I have made him do aur koi actor hota toh mera khoon kar deta!
4) Which scenes for you have been the most difficult to shoot in Apharan 2 as it has now an international back drop?
The whole shoot was very challenging for the simple reason that it was a complicated script and covid only made matters worse for us. With the international backdrop in picture, it was even more difficult because we had limited budgets and to pull this off in that kind of budget was no less than a feat. I do need did to thank my producer Mr Tanveer Bookwala who stood by me like a rock throughout. Talking about scenes, the entire Serbia shoot was difficult and challenging but it also a lot of fun!
5) As a director, what are the qualities you look for in an actor for a particular character?
It’s hard to say one particular quality because there is so much that goes into the process. But one thing which is really focus and look for is the ability to emote.
6) Apharan 2 is quiet different from the other movies/ series directed by you, was there any specific preparation done for it?
Apharan 2 was very different compared to both my series broken but beautiful and fittrat. But it wasn’t difficult for me because the world of apaharan is what I relate to the most. I love the heartland and small town stories as they are so rich in flavour that the more you go deeper and explore, the lore you find. The same thing happened with making of apharan and we all had a blast through the journey of apaharan.
Apharan 2 is currently streaming on Voot.
