Prosit Roy talks about comedy triggered by old fleet of vehicles on 'Raakh' sets
Mumbai, June 21
Director Prosit Roy, who is receiving a lot of positive response to the recently released streaming series 'Raakh', has shared insights into the fleet of vehicles used in the show.
The director spoke with IANS during the promotions of the film along with Ali Fazal, Sonali Bendre, Aamir Bhashir, Ramandeep Yadav, Anusha Nandkumar and Sandeep Sanket.
'Raakh' is a gripping fictional investigative thriller set in the late 1970s. It traces a crime that sends shockwaves across the nation, and leads to a nationwide manhunt that explores the collision between crime and justice. The series is heavily inspired by the Ranga-Billa case of kidnapping and extortion of siblings eventually leading to their brutal murder.
Since the show is set in the late 1970s, it has many elements of an era gone by. One thing that stands out in the production design is the use of vehicles of that era. However, sourcing them was not a cakewalk.
Talking about the fleet of vehicles including the cars, scooters and bikes, the director told IANS, "The cars were very, very difficult to find. We had a lot of hard time, we lost a lot of time actually because of the cars as they are very, very old. Yeah. So, we had a team of mechanics who fixed them but they were not in running condition. So, every time before the shot, it used to stop".
He further mentioned how Ali Fazal had a lot of trouble driving around the old jeep because of his height.
"Some of them were so small, I mean, Ali had a lot of trouble because he was the one who was driving the cars. Some of the time, Aamir Bhashir sir had so much trouble because the scooter that he was driving, right at the moment I would say, 'Action' and the scooter stopped. Same with Babu and Rajjo's bike, we were right in the middle of a very, very intense action scene. Ali is chasing Babu and Rajjo, and these guys were running away on the bike, and it stopped, then Ali caught them, completely opposite to what was written in the script. So, a lot of comedies happened because of these vehicles", he added.
'Raakh' is available to stream on Prime Video.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great attention to period detail! The struggle with vintage vehicles is so relatable - even today in tier-2 cities you see old Bajaj scooters and Fiat cars that barely run. That Ali Fazal jeep comedy must have been hilarious to witness in person. Makes me want to watch the show!
While the vehicle sourcing challenges are funny, I hope the series handles the Ranga-Billa case sensitively. That was a tragic real-life crime that shook Delhi. The comedic anecdotes from sets shouldn't trivialize the subject matter. But overall, excited for this period thriller!
Yaar, this reminds me of old Mumbai autos and BEST buses 😂 Production design for period shows is no joke - I've seen how they struggle with vintage vehicles in other films too. But honestly, these real-life mishaps on set make for better storytelling than perfect fake props. Looking forward to 'Raakh'.
As someone who loves classic cars, I can appreciate the difficulty. Those 70s Indian vehicles weren't built for reliability! The image of Ali Fazal chasing suspects on a stalled bike is pure comedy gold 😂. Props to the mechanics who kept them running. This sounds like a must-watch thriller.
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