Here’s What The Writers Of Disney+ Hotstar’s Dahan Have To Say About The Universe That They Have Created In The Series

 

nine-episode series also features actors Rajesh Tailang, Mukesh Tiwari, Saurabh Shukla, Ankur Nayyar, Rohan Joshi, and Lehar Khan.

Amid the ongoing age-old superstitions and myths one IAS officer sets out on a quest to find the truth in the face of doom that’s what collates the journey of Disney+ Hotstar’s upcoming supernatural thriller series, Dahan – Raakan ka Rahasya. While the nine-episode series is directed by Vikranth Pawar the writers Nisarg Mehta, Shiva Bajpai, and Nikhil Nair have very subtly put forward the idea of paranormal occurrences in a quaint, rustic village of Shilaspura, also known as the ‘The Land of The Dead. While the audience is still wondering about the unique element that they will have in the series, the writers are here to enclose them with their dark tale of myths and superstition.

 While speaking about his experience of creating a universe of Dahan, Nisarg Mehta shared “once we realised what the core conflict was, i.E. What educated progressive people like us grapple with most of the time, Are there things that don’t have a scientific rational explanation? We figured that a small village in rural Rajasthan would be the best setting for it. Like I said earlier I had experienced such a world in a few instances as part of my growing up years in not exactly urban settings. We wanted to create an atmosphere of alienation for our main protagonist who travels from a big city to make sure a ‘development’ project goes through. I mean to someone like her it’s mind boggling why these people dont want development. We all want progress right, don’t we?”

While sharing further, he added “It’s also alienating in a kind of sense today for someone like me to go back to my village and listen to people and what they think of what goes on in the world and their view towards it. Its not exactly about things supernatural but how they process information with the access they have. It’s hard to believe for someone like me.”

Watch Tisca Chopra interview:

“We also wanted to touch upon issues which we sometimes believe don’t affect us, but for the people of Shillaspura they are the backbone of their society.I think when you watch the show, although it’s a psychological thriller, you’ll see a lot of parallels to stuff that is happening today in our world and is as relevant to us in urban settings.” He added further.

On the other hand, digging deep into the world of Dahan, the other writer Shiva Bajpai said “We read a lot of mythologies from all over the world. Mayan, Norse, Greek, Chinese and of course local Indian mythologies. We created a mythology which on the surface seemed far fetched to our protagonist and then we had her experience something she couldn’t explain. Forcing her to doubt herself. That is what the purpose of mythology is: it is a warning that we don’t know everything, there are monsters both in the outside world and within us.”

Also read: The audience is ‘Mai Baap’ and we are making content for them: Tisca Chopra

Moreover, Nikhil Nair as a writer has his insights about the story. He said “Our goal was to write an intimate character-led narrative, so the experiences of our protagonists had to feel personal to us. To that end we started off by reaching back into our childhoods; the myths and legends of the pre-internet age was a goldmine of fantastical and terrifying stories. Shillaspura was an amalgamation of all the spooky delights we heard around us growing up. The atmospheric terror we’ve attempted has an old world, almost Lovecraftian quality to it. We shared a love for small-town superstitions, Victorian Gothic horror and Ramsay Brothers – so we put it all in a blender and threw it at our protagonists to survive from.”

“Having said that, it was important for us to never lose sight of the mother-son story at the centre of it. True horror doesn’t always just lurk in the shadows, we face it every day in broken homes and false accusations and crushing personal guilts. The monsters of Shillaspura are often a reflection of the personal damage its residents live with, and that is why – we hope – you care for them, and you want them to beat their demons – both literal and metaphorical.” He added further.

Tune into Disney+ Hotstar to join IAS officer Avani  Raut as she sets out on a mission to uncover the truth of Shilaspura, streaming exclusively on the platform from September 16.

Banijay Asia-produced Dahan Becomes The Most Watched Series On OTT

Deepak Dhar, CEO of Banijay Asia and producer of Dahan and Hostages, is known for bringing countless talents brings countless talented people under one roof to create an improbable reality. And his latest supernatural thriller Dahan:Raakan ka Rahasya appears to be a complete package. Director Vikrant Pawar has created a web of characters that seem intriguing and make a genius intersection of mythology and rationality.

 Deepak Dhar, Vikrant Pawar with Tisca Chopra and Saurabh Shukla (Photo: HCTCS)

The show is headlined by actor Tisca Chopra as Avni Raut, a character that is determined, vulnerable, passionate and tender. It also features actors Saurabh Shukla, Rajesh Tailang, and Mukesh Tiwari who bring richness to the show.

This supernatural thriller topped the Ormax OTT report and has surpassed the well-known shows Rings of Power, House of The Dragon and Criminal Justice.

Dhar says, “Dahan is very special to us. The series has some really talented people, from performers to technicians, post production and music teams. Vikrant has done a great job of creating the world of Dahan and he is to be fully credited for the vision he had for this land of superstition and folklore. Tisca has really outdone herself and the rest of cast has really shone through. The team at Disney+Hotstar has been a great partner through the entire journey. We, at Banijay Asia, are always striving to get the best talent to the forefront because that leads to great content, and Dahan is testament to that.”

While Pawar, says, “Dahan is my debut on digital medium and firsts are always special. I feel very blessed that Dahan has been well-received and it makes me very proud. I envisioned creating Dahan a long time back. You need some extraordinary people to create something like this. Fortunately, I got them. The cast and crew, all the people who have contributed to the show’s creation, have put their souls into it. It feels like our hard work has paid off. “

Chopra, on the other hands shares, “This was an experiment that paid off big time. Kudos to Hotstar and Banijay, who have had the gumption to make such a series. The audiences haven’t seen such a series and I so fortunate to be part of Vikrant’s vision. Dahan has a crazily talented bunch behind it, from camerawork to music to VFX each department has outdone itself. I have worked with some brilliant talent but I am also stunned to see the show’s incredible reception.”

Meanwhile Shukla says, “This show is a very unique story. It dives deep into the unknown without losing on reasonableness. Deepak Dhar, producer of Dahan, has taken the show to great heights. The direction, acting, and other aspects were very well balanced and I feel happy to be a part of it.”

Dahan is directed by Vikrant Pawar, produced by Deepak Dhar and stars Tisca Chopra, Saurabh Shukla, Rajesh Tailang, Mukesh Tiwari and Ankur Nayyar in pivotal roles. All episodes of Dahan: Raakan ka Rahasya are now streaming on Disney + Hotstar.

‘Dahan’ On Disney+ Hotstar: Writers Open Up On The Mythical Supernatural Universe They’ve Created

Amid the ongoing age-old superstitions and myths one IAS officer sets out on a quest to find the truth in the face of doom that’s what collates the journey of Disney+ Hotstar’s supernatural thriller series, ‘Dahan - Raakan Ka Rahasya’. While the nine-episode series is directed by Vikranth Pawar the writers Nisarg Mehta, Shiva Bajpai, and Nikhil Nair have very subtly put forward the idea of paranormal occurrences in a quaint, rustic village of Shilaspura, also known as the ‘The Land Of The Dead’. While the audience is still wondering about the unique element that they will have in the series, the writers are here to speak about the dark tale of myths and superstition.

While speaking about his experience of creating a universe of ‘Dahan’, Nisarg Mehta shares, “Once we realised what the core conflict was, i.E. What educated progressive people like us grapple with most of the time, Are there things that don’t have a scientific rational explanation? We figured that a small village in rural Rajasthan would be the best setting for it. Like I said earlier I had experienced such a world in a few instances as part of my growing up years in not exactly urban settings. We wanted to create an atmosphere of alienation for our main protagonist who travels from a big city to make sure a ‘development’ project goes through. I mean to someone like her it's mind boggling why these people dont want development. We all want progress right, don't we?”

While sharing further, he adds, “It's also alienating in a kind of sense today for someone like me to go back to my village and listen to people and what they think of what goes on in the world and their view towards it. Its not exactly about things supernatural but how they process information with the access they have. It's hard to believe for someone like me.”

“We also wanted to touch upon issues which we sometimes believe don't affect us, but for the people of Shillaspura they are the backbone of their society.I think when you watch the show, although it's a psychological thriller, you'll see a lot of parallels to stuff that is happening today in our world and is as relevant to us in urban settings,” he adds further.

On the other hand, digging deep into the world of Dahan, the other writer Shiva Bajpai says, “We read a lot of mythologies from all over the world. Mayan, Norse, Greek, Chinese and of course local Indian mythologies. We created a mythology which on the surface seemed far fetched to our protagonist and then we had her experience something she couldn’t explain. Forcing her to doubt herself. That is what the purpose of mythology is: it is a warning that we don’t know everything, there are monsters both in the outside world and within us.”

Moreover, Nikhil Nair as a writer has his insights about the story. He says, “Our goal was to write an intimate character-led narrative, so the experiences of our protagonists had to feel personal to us. To that end we started off by reaching back into our childhoods; the myths and legends of the pre-internet age was a goldmine of fantastical and terrifying stories. Shillaspura was an amalgamation of all the spooky delights we heard around us growing up. The atmospheric terror we’ve attempted has an old world, almost Lovecraftian quality to it. We shared a love for small-town superstitions, Victorian Gothic horror and Ramsay Brothers – so we put it all in a blender and threw it at our protagonists to survive from.”

“Having said that, it was important for us to never lose sight of the mother-son story at the centre of it. True horror doesn’t always just lurk in the shadows, we face it every day in broken homes and false accusations and crushing personal guilts. The monsters of Shillaspura are often a reflection of the personal damage its residents live with, and that is why – we hope – you care for them, and you want them to beat their demons – both literal and metaphorical,” he adds further.