Hansal Mehta on his love for web series: There’s no pressure of the weekend box office performance

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who has helmed many projects in Bollywood, applauds the ‘freedom’ in the digital space and adds that he will not force masala on his projects unnecessarily.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta is happy with the positive response to his web series Bose: Dead or Alive. And his involvement in the series as its creative producer has encouraged him to “explore the web space more”.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s new film, Omerta, stars Rajkummar Rao. (Sarang Gupta/ HT Photo)

“ I can do a lot more with projects, digitally, and I am determined to bring more stories to the digital audience. In this medium, I’ll bring at least one show every year,” says Hansal, with evident excitement.

The filmmaker, who has directed films such as Shahid (2013), CityLights (2014) and Aligarh (2015) , has his reasons to expand his reach in the digital medium, which is becoming a favourite among youngsters.

“There is a freedom in the medium, and that too, creative freedom, where I can say something without any fear and without pressure of the weekend box office performance,” he says.

However, he is not worried about the audience’s reaction to his experiments. The National Award-winning filmmaker understands audience’s anticipation, and in fact, wants people to expect more. “I want more people to think that way. With every film, the audience grows. I am so proud that Rajkummar (Rao) has built his audience base, and [now] more people will watch how the two of us collaborate,” says Hansal, whose next film, Omerta, will star the actor in the lead.

Known for his socially relevant films, Hansal’s last film Simran — a light hearted drama film, featuring Kangana Ranaut — did not get enough footfall at the box office. However, this does not discourage him from taking up lighter genres in future.

“What I am interested in is exploring a genre. My next film is a thriller but it was born out of my love for the genre. If I have an interesting story which I can narrate in the manner of a full-fledged mass entertainer, I would do it, but I will not force masala on something which is not needed,” he says.

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