Break Ke Baad director Danish Aslam’s next project isn’t a film but a web series. He has directed Tahir Raj Bhasin and Sarah Jane Dias in Time Out, which is releasing on Viacom18’s OTT platform — VOOT on November 28. Danish, who has also directed, It’s Not That Simple, another web series, says that he could connect with the show on various levels. The series will introduce the audience to a side of urban marriages where the couple has to deal with issues of responsibility, reliability and readiness, he says.
Excerpts:
Tell us about Time Out?
It’s a show about the perfect couple with a perfectly planned life and the perfect house they’ve just bought and what happens when one of them decides that while this may be the life he’s supposed to lead, it isn’t the one he wants. It’s a show about hitting pause to reconsider one’s life choices and how that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
How was the experience working with Tahir and Sarah?
Tahir and Sarah constantly surprised me on set, and I realised that this may not sound very flattering at first glance, but it’s true nonetheless. I’d only seen Sarah in Angry Indian Goddesses and Tahir had basically been a villain for the entirety of his short film career. So I would be lying if I said I wasn’t apprehensive, but the amount of homework that these two did and the enthusiasm with which they approached the whole experience made it a blast. And, most importantly, they’re both completely mad in their own unique way — which is always what you want on set.
Do you as an individual connect with the characters or story at any level?
Both Tahir and Sarah’s characters, I think. When I was writing, I realised that the issues that both the characters have in their marriage and the arguments that they put forward are words that I have often said too. I think Rahul was more relatable for me, since I often echo his viewpoints on the institution of marriage, but my wife claims Radha is more my voice. Perhaps that’s just good acting on Sarah’s part.
Do you believe that urban couples are becoming self-centric and detached?
I don’t think the nature of relationships depends on the type of family you live in — nuclear or joint. I do believe less weightage is given to longevity and even, perhaps, monogamy, in modern-day relationships. But that’s the evolving nature of human society. We’re more casual about some things, but perhaps that’s good. It’s better to be honest and dynamic than to live a lie and be static. The latter almost always leads to a bigger and more destructive explosion later on down the line.
It’s been seven years since you directed Break Ke Baad. When do you plan to announce your next feature film?
If only announcing a movie were a guarantee of making it. And, technically, I have “announced” a couple of them over the years. But, unfortunately, those didn’t work out due to a variety of reasons. I have started work on another one now. Let’s hope this one makes it past the announcement stage.
