Biggest differentiating factor between Hindi & Marathi industry is scale: Saurabh Bhave

Writer-director Saurabh Bhave recently made his debut as director in Hindi with Huma Qureshi-starrer ‘Maharani 3’, which was released on SonyLIV. The previous two seasons were directed by Karan Sharma and Ravindra Gautam, respectively. The political drama, which was co-written and created by Subhash Kapoor, has received good response so far. In an exclusive chat with Adgully, Saurabh Bhave speaks about his journey from Marathi industry to Hindi industry, his show and experience of working with Subhash Kapoor.

Since you were not attached to this show previously, how were you chosen to direct it?

I have directed a Marathi feature film before. I have known Subhash Sir for some time now and we had planned to collaborate on a few projects, which unfortunately didn’t go through. I also knew the team behind ‘Maharani’ very well. Having said that, I must thank Subhash Sir for considering me for the third season of Maharani.

You have been a writer, so did you improvise in the story plot?

No, I came on board only when the story was locked by the makers already. I have realised interestingly though that not being a part of the writing team gives you a certain objectivity and freedom to see it from a different perspective, which normally doesn’t happen if you have written the script of your film or show.

What kind of advice did Subhash Kapoor give you?

More than advice, I would say he gave me a free hand to make it mine and express myself. So, it was a great experience to work with him and the entire team.

In today’s time, you have to be cautious about handling any subject, be it mythological, social or political. So, what kind of precautions did you take?

All of us have opinions and inclinations. What I feel is that as far as it is woven in the story subtly or it is a very crucial part of the story and doesn’t feel like opinions are being forced on the narrative, it should be fine. In our show as well, the focus was on the narrative first, we did not have to think much about precautions.

What was the most challenging part of the shoot? Why?

Since it is a political drama, like everyone knows, I would say shooting political rallies was the toughest part for us. Just imagine handling the crowd of around 1,000 people at same time and getting a perfect shot! It is probably the toughest part. It was tough, especially when shooting at real locations, with so many people. But we did manage to do that, because of our team.

You have worked in both Marathi and Hindi industries, so what is the major difference you find in them?

Marathi is at par with any other language cinema when it comes to content or professionalism. The biggest differentiating factor is the scale. In Hindi, everything is 10 times of Marathi – from budgets to audience to many other things. This is what I think.

Would you want to direct more films or series in the future?

Yes, I am already planning for my next. However, I am not allowed to talk about it at this stage as it would be too early to speak about them now. But fingers crossed and let’s hope I will be able to tell you about it soon.