‘OTT platforms are here to stay’

An editor by training (from FTII), a writer by profession, a lyricist by chance and a singer by passion. That’s Amitabh S Verma for you. Verma, who recently directed his maiden web series, Teen Do Paanch, has penned hits like Alvida (Life in a Metro), Maa ka Phone Aaya (Khoobsurat). Likewise, all the songs in Teen Do Paanch are written, composed and sung by him. 

The ace filmmaker, who runs Me2Films with his filmmaker-writer wife, Shruti Anindita Verma, has signed up with Endemol Shine India and K Films from Nepal to organise Season 2 of the Mt Everest Fashion Runway Show in September. In this first-of-its-kind reality show, fashion models from India and other countries will scale the world’s highest peak and participate in a fashion show. Season 1 took place at Kala Patthar near Everest base camp in January 2020. Excerpts:

How different is it doing a web series vis-à-vis films?
The basic rules of the film-making remain the same. Like the story should be good and screen time should not be wasted. But there are differences too. A film begins and ends at one go with a short interval in between. But in a web series, the story is broken in many parts. You have to end each part at such a point that the viewer longs to know what’s further. A web series can have many subplots, unlike a film. Here, content is the king, and you don’t need big stars to attract your audience. Newer themes are easy to attempt in a web series, as opposed to films. OTT platforms are a blessing for all — writers, actors and directors, and these are here to stay. 

How did Hindi cinema happen? 
I was always a film buff, but never thought of it as a profession till very late. After graduation, I pursued my Masters at the Delhi School of Economics, and it was during those days that the “what next now?” question came up. I was not interested in further studies, so I began assisting my brother (TV host and anchor Mukul Verma), and soon realised that I wanted to join films. The process of filmmaking fascinated me. My mother then advised me to join FTII. After that, I was one of the assistant editors under Bela Segal for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi The Musical. It was a familiar set up as the team had my batch mates and seniors from FTII. 

How has been the experience of working with stalwarts of Hindi cinema?
I have worked with Rajkumar Hirani, Vinod Chopra, Anurag Basu, Bhupen Hazarika, Anu Malik, Pritam... and learnt something from each. For example, I have learnt that even after being super successful one can remain humble; even after being written off by everyone one can bounce back; even after being in the business for 40 years, one can be deeply passionate about one’s work. The biggest thing I learnt is not giving up. 
 
What comes naturally to you — penning songs, scripts or directing? 
Singing. But, my favourite work is directing. Since as director, you are also taking care of all the other departments whether it is writing, editing or music. And I love doing everything — writing songs, scripts, singing, composing and directing. 
 
Any interesting anecdotes from your DU days?
Hindu College was a big cultural shock for me. I had mostly studied in Hindi medium schools in small towns of Bihar, but here everything was in English. It was a big struggle. Thankfully, my friends trained me in spoken English. I had learnt Hindustani classical music as a child. It was in Hindu College that I got to sing on stage. I regularly participated in the annual music programmes, and won. It made me popular and gave me a lot of confidence. 

What do you miss the most about Delhi?
Food, especially dhaba food. During college days, our hostel mess was closed on Sunday nights. So, Sunday dinner always at a dhaba. My love for yellow Dal Tadka started from there. Even now, whenever I go to Delhi, I try to have roadside Chhole Kulche, Chhole Bhature, Tandoori Roti and Dal Fry. Unfortunately, the dhabas we used to frequent have closed now, but many others have opened.