'Ranjish Hi Sahi' director reveals how he converted a few life events of Mahesh Bhatt into piece of drama

Director writer Pushpdeep Bhardwaj best known for his writing and direction in film Jalebi is currently garnering praises for his web series Ranjish Hi Sahi starring Tahir Raj Bhasin, Amala Paul and Amrita Puri, currently streaming on Voot. The story, based around a flailing director caught between a devoted wife and a sizzling superstar, is written and directed by Pushpdeep Bhardwaj.

Revealing about how the whole idea shaped up, he shares,"I have been working with Vishesh films since Jalebi. Mahesh sir asked me what I want to do next. I said I'll write something and then he told me that he has some 5 pages of anecdotes of his life to share. All this happened so randomly. I proposed him if I can make this my work of action and as soon as I got green signal from him I wrote eight episodes with reference to that. Me and my Associate, Pradipta De pitched to Jyoti Deshpande from Jio and she sat for the narration, gave us a go ahead and backed me throughout. But I didn't want to set the story in today's times because it won't enliven the audiences much. Therefore, the love story blooms in the 70s which is contrasting from today's love generation, a world full of dating apps. Thus, I was quite sure about the backdrop of my show of keeping it in 70s world."

Sharing about the challenges of creating a 70s world he said, " I wasn't born that time so I had to create many reference point in order to recreate that era. I had to watch many films of 70s, meet people in the industry from that decade. I acquired many stories from all of that. Created a fictional world which touches and is inspired by Mahesh Bhatt's life but not his biopic. With consecutive shows of thriller and crime dramas, this show feels like a breath of fresh air. It is a genre changing for audiences."

Talking about Mahesh Bhatt's response to the show he said, "He really loved the show the way I have put in my colors and executed it. He is like a life coach and he gave me complete freedom to make the film. He is very clear that the director is the captain of the ship. He really loved the show and never doubted my capabilities."