Anup Hanumanthe Gowda, who previously produced mystery thrillers like Shivaji Surathkal and co-produced Ravi Basrur’s Veera Chandrahasa, is now taking a detour into the digital space with a new web series titled Indira. The series, made under his banner Silver Screens Studios, recently wrapped filming across Belagavi, Bengaluru, and Ramanagara.
Directed by debutant Bhageeratha, the series stars Anupama Anandkumar. The plot moves between the present day and the 1970s, exploring unspoken violence buried under decades of silence.
For Anup, taking the OTT plunge was about trusting a writer-director's instinct over market math. "Story has always mattered most to me, whether on Shivaji Surathkal or now with Indira," says Anup, adding, "I kept hearing Bhageeratha’s name from different people in the industry, and when I worked with him on another script, I saw how much craft he brings. When he narrated Indira, it caught my attention right away. It spans two distinct eras, and a standard two-hour film just would not hold the story; it needed the canvas of a series. I did ask him if we could turn it into a film, but he was clear: 'Give me the creative freedom, sir, let’s take the chance.'"
The producer is candid that he is working without a safety net. "I do not know the OTT market, and we have no platform tie-up in place yet. Even if nobody buys it and I end up putting it on YouTube, I chose to take that risk," he notes. "Cinema gave me everything, and I want to back young talent. Our budget shot up four times what we first planned, but I told him not to hold back on the vision. We brought in Sundarmurthy for the music and Kantara colourist Ramesh CP. When your intent is clean, things work out," he mentions.
Bhageeratha points out that the format gave him necessary breathing room. "A web series gives you storytelling freedom that cinema runtimes cut down," explains Bhageeratha. "Blending the 1970s with contemporary times called for a lot of detailing. It is a commercial entertainer at heart, but completely women-led. We did not compromise visually either, treating it with the scale of cinema."
With cinematography by Sanjay Channappa, and editing by C Ravichandran, Indira is eyeing a release early next year.
