Kaali Peeli Tales, made under Madmidaas Films boasts of a brilliant starcast and powerpacked script. With an ensemble cast featuring Vinay Pathak, Soni Razdan, Gauahar Khan, Sayani Gupta, Maanvi Gagroo, Sharib Hashmi, Hussain Dalal, Priyanshu Painyuli, Sadia Siddiqui, Tanmay Dhananya and others; the film revolves around six short stories.
The anthology series focuses on infidelity, open marriage, homosexuality, commitment phobia, divorce and many other relevant issues. IB Times India got in touch with the writer and director Adeeb Rais to talk about the series and more.
Tell us something about the title and why it was named so.
The 'Kaali Peeli' Taxi is iconic to Mumbai city. One day, while I was travelling in one I realised, Mumbaikars spend so much time commuting and so much happens in a cab ride back home after a long day. That's where the germ of the anthology came from and since every film ends in a black and yellow taxi, there just couldn't be a more appropriate title.
What makes anthology films special? Would you say it is the future of our entertainment industry?
I think anthologies have something for everyone and people really enjoy the variety that they come with. I would definitely say they are here to say, but people have to keep pushing the envelope and not take the format for granted. At the end of the day content and the films have to be fresh and engaging. The future is a variety of content across all formats. We live in a time where there are multiple platforms and our audiences are mixed and that's really exciting.
With such an ensemble cast, tell us about the mood/vibe on the sets.
My team and I enjoyed shooting each film so much. All my actors were super supportive and had a different style of working but were in sync with our style as well. I function with a small crew and keep my set very controlled. They all really merged in so well. My entire crew loved working with all of them and learned so much from each. Besides the array of wonderful actors, every film has a different visual milieu as well which made the experience all the more exciting. We shot in a tiger reserve, paper factory, dingy bars, a village and a variety of locations. That was truly enjoyable.
What are the challenges one faces when shooting for such anthology series?
The greatest challenge is getting the dates of actors together and creating a balance within the films in its execution. A good anthology series should have something interesting to say in every film. Our greatest challenge was to get the script of each film upto a level and make sure they don't overlap with any of the others.
Describe their acting styles in one word each.
Gauahar as an actor - Sensitive
Soni Razdan as an actor - Effortless
Vinay Pathak as an actor - Vibrant
Priyanshu Painyuli as an actor - Subtle
Sayani Gupta as an actor - Intelligent
Maanvi Gagroo as an actor - Spontaneous
Hussain Dalal as an actor - Charming
Sadia Siddiqui as an actor - Neat
Sharib Hashmi as an actor - Organic
