After Disney+ Hotstar kick-started mainstream long-format storytelling in Malayalam with Kerala Crime Files, Sony LIV, another leading streaming giant, is gearing up to launch its maiden Malayalam web series. Titled Jai Mahendran, the light-hearted political drama headlined by Saiju Kurup is set to premiere on October 11. Interestingly, the only common link between these shows is writer-director Rahul Riji Nair, who is known for helming films like Ottamuri Velicham, Kalla Nottam, and Kho-Kho. While Rahul produced Kerala Crime Files, he serves as the writer, producer, and showrunner in Jai Mahendran. "As a creator, it's a privilege to be entrusted with the opportunity of executing category-defining regional content for two major international platforms. Even though I feel the pressure, I consider this as a significant milestone for someone without any cinema background," says the National award-winning director, as he discusses the writing of Jai Mahendran, his roles and responsibilities as a showrunner and working with a corporate company.
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From a disturbing domestic drama to a minimalist but highly effective film on moral policing, and a sports drama, you've mixed genres quite well. With Jai Mahendran, you seem to be exploring the power dynamics and inner workings of bureaucracy...
I've often felt that mainstream narratives have been one-sided in portraying our system as corrupt and inefficient. However, there haven't been many attempts to find out why the system or the employees are incompetent. I feel it is important to see things from their perspective as well. Bureaucracy, especially in India, always has an overarching political influence. Every time the ruling government changes, the system also changes. What is right today may not be acceptable tomorrow.
In Jai Mahendran, the protagonist is a Deputy Tahsildar who believes in getting things done by whatever means necessary. Then there's his newly transferred superior who believes in going only by the book. This clash of ideologies excited me, I tried to be the devil's advocate and show both of their perspectives.
Was it always planned as a series?
No, I initially conceived it as a feature film in 2019, for me to direct. I visited many Taluk offices as part of my research and spent a lot of time with the employees to get an insider perspective. I also spoke to the general public to gather their experiences, all of which resulted in surplus content that couldn't be contained within a feature film. Moreover, due to the pandemic, it was impossible to shoot a film like this, which has scenes with a lot of crowds. This was the same time streaming platforms had initiated discussions on web series in Malayalam, so I thought this would be an ideal subject. With so much content available, I knew it had the potential to generate multiple seasons.
Web series writing comes with a different set of challenges, including a hook at the end of each episode. How was the process of converting a feature script into a series?
Since I'm new to writing long-format content, it was a different experience. I reworked the initial feature film draft but retained all the major characters and plot points. A series offers more liberty to introduce new characters. Suppose there's a 5-minute-long scene in the feature script, I can easily extend it in the series and add multiple layers to it. Sometimes, I also have to think mechanically, about the prologue and epilogue for each episode.
As a producer-showrunner, how different were your responsibilities from Kerala Crime Files, in which you were just the producer?
Apart from designing and setting up the project, I had no creative involvement in Kerala Crime Files. Whereas as a showrunner, the responsibilities are multifold. In foreign shows, the cast and director might change in the subsequent seasons, but not the showrunner because he ensures there's a continuity of vision. In Indian cinema, the term is loosely used. Here, the role involves creative supervision, project design and acting as a bridge between the director and the platform. Ahammed Khabeer was already an established name while doing Kerala Crime Files, but Jai Mahendran was Srikanth's (Mohan) directorial debut. So the platform expects more of a hand-holding. Srikanth was my associate and had been there with me right from my first film, so I was confident in his abilities. At the end of the day, it's the director's vision that gets implemented. On sets, I offer suggestions only during some improvisations like merging two scenes.
Do you get to do last-minute improvisations like in films, because corporate companies like Sony usually expect everything to be planned and approved before execution?
As long as the story doesn't change drastically, they're okay with minor improvisations like modulations in dialogue delivery or performance. But, there are also instances where some characters or the actor's performance inspires us to develop them further. Miya and Suresh Krishna's characters in Jai Mahendran were extended like that. We loved what they brought to the table and wrote additional scenes for them. In such situations, I used to write scenes at night, get approval from the platform's creative team, and then proceed to shoot.
Similarly, these platforms are also very particular about political and other sensitive content. This being a political subject, did you get any such guidelines?
Not really, because from the very first draft, this script was not about any one party or person. It's based on collective experiences, which includes my own. There are no direct references to anyone. Of course, they have a legal team who constantly monitor things. Even if we use a party logo in a scene, we have to get their approval.
You're also playing a full-length character in the series. Did you always have an interest in acting?
I did, but during my struggling period in cinema, I realised the importance of being focussed. So, I chose not to act, even in my short films, as I wanted to make it as a director first. It was only in my 4th film, I decided to try acting. This role in Jai Mahendran was initially written for someone else. In fact, when it was a feature, I wanted Saiju chettan to play this role and we had even discussed it. But, by the time the series was greenlit, he became big enough to lead a project. We were looking for other options, but Srikanth insisted that I play the role. He felt my offscreen rapport with Saiju chettan would reflect well on the performance. I was still not confident to play a full-length character and add to that the anxiety of being a producer. But, I think it has come out well. It's for the audience to judge now.