Headshot, the latest series by TVF, marks a new beginning for the production house. Featuring Siddharth Nigam in the lead role, the 5-episode series is entirely set in the world of gaming. However, it’s a slow journey for the series protagonist, Sachin. When we first meet him, Sachin is not remotely interested in gaming, his entry into this world happens by sheer accident.
For Siddharth, it was a similar journey as he came on board for Headshot, discovering the world of gaming and its intensity both as a career and a world of its own. He recalls, “Of course, all of us played a lot of games during the COVID lockdown, and also bonded over those games, but I never thought of it as a sport or a career. I am sure there are many like me.” The young actor interacted with popular gamers like Pahadi Gamer to understand the world of gaming.
For Abhinav Anand, the writer-director of Headshot, who has directed shows like Hostel Daze and Sandeep Bhaiyya, his new show is personal in more ways than one. Abhinav says, “This story is not merely about gamers; it is relatable for anyone who has been a dreamer. When I wanted to become a filmmaker, only I knew my potential. I knew I just had to convince my family, no matter how much time it takes. So, in Headshot, gaming is just a tool to tell that story about dreamers.” At the same time, there is a clear intent with the series to educate more people about how gaming has now emerged as a bona fide career avenue in India. Siddharth explains, “The gamers’ community doesn’t get enough support from their family. We have made the show for them and their ecosystem, so people know about it and start thinking of it as a proper career. But even if you are not a gamer, Headshot is about the ambitions, pain and struggle of any normal human being.”
While the show largely revolves around Sachin and his pursuit of gaming as a career while doing a menial, exhausting job, he is aided by his friend Prajakta (Nidhi Bhanushali), a girl-next-door who gradually learns to support Sachin in his ambitions. Nidhi Bhanushali, who plays Prajakta, says the goal with their show is also to end the stigma around the world of gaming. She says, “People don’t get credit for the hard work they put in to achieve that credibility. If you look at it deeply, their efforts are almost as gruelling as those of a professional athlete. This is our attempt to show this generation that an avenue like this can be explored.” Siddharth, who began his career as a child artist and earned recognition with Dhoom 3 (2013), and later became a popular face on Television with shows like MahaKumbh, Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat and Aladdin, points out to a plot device in the show that underlines this element. He notes, “If you see Sachin’s friend Kashif, he is into gaming just for fun. It’s wrong if you spend all your time indulging in gaming. However, if you are doing it with honesty and a goal in mind, there’s nothing wrong with it.”
Meanwhile, Abhinav also informed that TVF had been planning a show like this for many years. “However, the trouble was in finding a gaming partner. If we build a show around a game, we need to create the gaming visuals, and we didn’t have the time or resources for that. Which is why having a partner was crucial for the show. Once Free Fire Max came on board, we began developing the script.” The director also talks about how the team took some creative liberties to make the visuals more accessible for the common audience. “Even those who aren't into gaming enjoy the show as a visual treat. There are a lot of experimental things done here, like the music and editing,” he adds.
With two more episodes to go, Headshot eventually promises to capture Sachin’s journey as someone who began with an impulse but slowly learns discipline in the process. “When you see Sachin in the opening episode, he is a very hyper-energetic boy, eager to get into gaming with a certain restlessness. By the time we arrive at the fifth episode, there is a scene where you see Sachin’s maturity as he learns how to be calm when he is not immersed in this high-adrenaline zone,” Abhinav adds. The first episode of Headshot, which is planned as a 5-episode series, dropped on YouTube on March 20, with weekly episodes scheduled for every Friday. The show also features Luke Kenny and Vijay Nikam in the supporting cast