The shoot process and execution of LoveJaction the recently launched web-series on SonyLIV has given Producer Saurabh Tewari immense satisfaction as the maker.
Love JAction features Anud Singh Dhaka, Kangan Baruah Nangia and Puru Chibber in central roles.
Says Saurabh Tewari who also directed the series, “We started work on Love JAction in November last year. We wrote it during the Covid times. We were soon developing the scripts through video conferences. The shoot had to be planned during the Covid phase in four cities – Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Delhi. The longest schedule was the one in Lucknow where we shot in September 2020 when Covid was at its peak. Initially, we had problems putting all things in place. Finally, we took care of all protocols to be followed and also got the required permissions for the shoot. We were shooting with a total tally of 75 people on set. The best part was that nobody from our cast and crew got affected by Covid, except for me (smiles). I was the only person who got Covid when in Lucknow. So for all the efforts put in during the toughest of times, this project is very close to many of us associated with it. If something would have happened to someone, it would have been a complicated scenario. By God’s grace, we succeeded in pulling it off.”
Saurabh Tewari puts to notice here that the series has a relatively unknown cast, but the response gotten has been really good. “The response has been quite good and encouraging. This one was a tough one to pull off, and we are all glad that it has been executed well.”
Talking about how the idea of making Love JAction started, Saurabh avers, “I wanted to make a love story, based out in my hometown. I wanted to make a very filmy series. And the uniqueness in this aspect is really close to my heart. SonyLIV had a very clear and definite marketing strategy. Danish has always been very supportive, and I am fond of him as a great leader.”
On the actor/actors who impressed him the most, Saurabh explains, “That’s a very tough question because we have had many good performances coming in this. I will not move away from answering it though but will answer it differently. I think Anud was fantastic. Playing JAction was very difficult, and the show was all about him. Kangan pulled off a character that changed at the end of every episode. She brought in the variations really well. Priyank Tiwari’s character has been my favorite in the series and I really love him as a performer. But if you ask me to name one person with whose performance I am very happy, it will be Puru Chibber.”
“I will explain this to you. When we cast Anud, there was a mutual consensus. All other characters were cast quite easily. Puru’s casting was really tough in the sense that it was a solid pushback on me. When I saw his audition and met him, I was immediately convinced about him playing the antagonist. However, there were a lot of reservations about him from all sides. For the longest time, casting this character was a battle in isolation. He was the most important character in the series. And even when a lot of other actors were considered, Puru was working on his workshops. There were big names that were considered. But finally, when nothing materialized, I put my foot down and stood up for him. I am extremely happy that he performed out of his skin in the role and is getting great reviews. I will consider Puru’s performance as a personal victory.”
Saurabh Tewari has his ongoing TV show Pinjara Khubsurti Ka on air on Colors. He will be working on few more web projects in the near future.