The Doctor is in: Siddharth P Malhotra on the making of hit medical drama ‘Doctors’

With a career spanning acclaimed films like Hichki and We Are Family, along with iconic television shows such as Sanjivani, Siddharth P Malhotra has carved a niche for himself in the Indian entertainment industry. His latest venture, Doctors, has captivated audiences, topping viewership charts and setting new benchmarks for medical dramas on OTT platforms.

In this exclusive conversation with Adgully, Siddharth P Malhotra delves into the key factors behind the success of Doctors, the evolving landscape of storytelling across film, television, and digital platforms, and what lies ahead for him as a filmmaker and showrunner. From authenticity in medical dramas to his upcoming projects, he shares valuable insights into his creative process and vision for the future.

Doctors has clearly resonated strongly with audiences, topping the viewership charts. What do you believe are the key ingredients that made this series such a success, and what specific aspects of the show are you most proud of?

I believe Doctors struck a chord with audiences for several reasons. First and foremost, the love story serves as an emotional anchor, making the show deeply engaging. Secondly, this is the first Indian series that truly delves into the lives of medical professionals in a way reminiscent of Grey’s Anatomy or The Resident. We’ve gone beyond portraying doctors as infallible heroes and instead presented them as real people, individuals who experience triumphs, heartbreaks, and personal struggles while trying to save lives.

What makes me most proud is the balance we struck between technical accuracy and emotional depth. The medical cases, the surgical procedures, and the behind-the-scenes realities of doctors’ lives all add to the show’s authenticity. At the same time, the emotional intensity keeps viewers invested. In many ways, Doctors allowed me to explore themes I couldn’t fully delve into in my previous medical dramas, and I’m thrilled to see that it has resonated so well with audiences.

You’ve had a diverse career spanning films like Hichki and We Are Family, as well as popular TV shows like Sanjivani. How has working across these different mediums shaped your storytelling approach, particularly in the OTT space with Doctors?

Every medium demands a unique approach to storytelling. Television operates on a different rhythm; it’s about keeping the audience engaged for long periods, often relying on high emotional stakes, twists, and cliff-hangers to maintain viewership. The focus is on time spent watching, which means stories need to be dramatic, fast-paced, and aspirational to hold attention.

OTT, on the other hand, is about binge-ability. Viewers have the option to drop off at any time, so every episode needs to be compelling enough to make them stay. The key metric here is the completion rate and how many people actually finish the series. The writing needs to be tight, immersive, and unpredictable, ensuring the audience watches it in one or two sittings.

Cinema is an entirely different ballgame. Today, even with discounted ticket prices, audiences need a strong reason to step into a theatre. A film must be larger than life, something that demands a big screen experience. Whether it’s a period drama, a comedy, or an intense thriller, it has to justify that theatrical release.

With Doctors, I adapted my storytelling to the OTT format by keeping the pace brisk, the drama layered, and the emotions deeply resonant, ensuring it felt immersive while still being binge-worthy.

Doctors deals with the intense pressures and emotional realities faced by medical professionals. What kind of research went into ensuring authenticity? Did you consult with real doctors, and if so, what insights did they share?

Absolutely! Authenticity was key, and to achieve that, we had a team of medical consultants, including Dr Agni and three other practicing doctors. They meticulously vetted every script, ensuring medical accuracy in both procedures and diagnoses.

During production, they were on set, guiding actors on how to perform surgeries and handle medical equipment correctly. We even used prosthetic bodies and babies for surgery scenes to maintain realism. The goal was to ensure that when real doctors watched the show, they saw an accurate representation of their profession.

Additionally, several cases featured in Doctors were inspired by real-life incidents. Some of our original script ideas had to be altered based on medical feedback; there were things we thought would be dramatic, but doctors told us, “That’s not how it happens.” It was a learning curve, but one that ultimately made the show stronger and more credible.

The Indian OTT landscape is highly competitive. What are some of the unique challenges and opportunities in creating content for this platform, and how did these factors influence your creative choices with Doctors?

The biggest challenge in the OTT space is ensuring high completion rates. It’s not just about grabbing attention; it’s about sustaining it across multiple episodes. If viewers don’t finish your show, it doesn’t succeed, no matter how good it is.

This means the storytelling must be tight and engaging, with each episode leaving the audience eager to hit “Next.” Long, slow scenes don’t work anymore; you need a fast pace, compelling character arcs, and enough intrigue to keep viewers invested.

Another challenge is differentiation. With so much content available, we have to ask: Are we saying something fresh? If the core theme is familiar, how do we present it in a unique way?

With Doctors, we tackled these challenges by blending a compelling love story with high-stakes medical drama, ensuring both emotional depth and binge-worthiness. We also focused on visual storytelling, making sure it felt distinct from traditional television while staying engaging for an OTT audience.

You have a knack for creating relatable characters that deeply connect with audiences. What’s your approach to character development, and how did you bring that into Doctors?

For me, the key to great storytelling is creating characters that feel real, people with flaws, struggles, and personal journeys. If a character is too perfect, they become unrelatable. It’s their imperfections that make them human and allow audiences to connect with them.

Over the years, I’ve learned that audiences don’t want one-dimensional heroes or villains. They want layered, complex characters that evolve over time. That’s what I focused on with Doctors. Every doctor in the show has personal conflicts beyond their professional challenges. They make mistakes, have moments of doubt, and navigate relationships that are as messy as real life.

Having worked on multiple medical dramas, I was also able to bring in elements that I couldn’t explore before; certain character arcs that I had wanted to write but hadn’t found the right platform for. This time, I made sure each character had depth, nuance, and an emotional core that resonated with viewers.

Looking ahead, what kind of stories are you most passionate about telling? What can audiences expect next from Siddharth P Malhotra?

There are some really exciting projects in the pipeline! Kamal aur Meena, the love story of Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari, which is currently in the casting phase. It’s a deeply emotional and cinematic story, and we’ve just finished the script.

Beyond that, I have two more films lined up: one is a courtroom drama, and the other might be an action-adventure. Both are very different from anything I’ve done before, which makes them incredibly exciting challenges for me as a filmmaker.

On the OTT front, we’re working on a couple of series; one of them is a biopic, while the other is a beautiful love story. Both are projects I’m very passionate about, though I can’t reveal details just yet. We’ll be announcing them soon.

As for television, I’m planning to do just one show, I don’t want to stretch myself too thin. But on the film front, we’re also looking to produce a new project that will go into production soon.

Overall, my focus remains on telling human stories, narratives driven by emotion, relationships, and depth. I’m eager to explore new genres and push my own creative boundaries in the coming years.

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