I would like to do both films and web shows: director Aarambhh M Singh

Writer-director Aarambhh M Singh started out making short films and corporate videos. Since then, he has assisted popular directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sriram Raghavan and Omung Kumar. His directorial debut short film, Rosebed, was felicitated as a "Rising Star in Asian Cinema" in Beijing in 2011. It was followed by his debut web series Damaged in 2018.

More recently, Aarambhh has helmed the second seasons of Jamai 2.0 and Bekaaboo. Both shows are now streaming, and, according to the director, have been received well by fans. “They both have very different audiences as they are of different genres, but both have broken records,” he says. 

Streaming on ALTBalaji, Bekaaboo season 2 is a psychological revenge thriller based on characters from Black Suits You by Novoneel Chakraborty. The show stars Rajeev Siddhartha, Priya Banerjee, and others. 

“Bekaaboo has a crazy twisted plotline,” Aarambhh says. “It has multiple characters and too many set-ups. With a limited number of days to pull the show off, because we had a deadline to release, it was extremely challenging. I did preproduction of Jamai 2.0 season 2 and Bekaaboo season 2 simultaneously. I remember sleeping for only three hours every day.” 

Aarambhh says working with directors like Sriram Raghavan shaped his passion for dark thrillers. “I had an opportunity to work very closely with Sriram on Badlapur and who can be a bigger inspiration than him in Indian filmmaking. But in world cinema, my inspiration has been Alfred Hitchcock and David Fincher.” 

Speaking about his upcoming projects, Aarambhh adds, “I have taken a break to finish my feature film script for theatrical release. I have a few stories already pitched to OTT for digital films and series waiting to go on floors.”

Does he prefer feature films over web shows? “I come from the generation where we only knew feature films, so of course I have a soft corner for film. But OTT has given me recognition as a director, so I would like to be connected to both.”