'Hasmukh' a tale of morality versus ambition: Nikkhil Advani

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, co-creator of Vir Das-led series Hasmukh, says the show focuses on untamed ambition.

The series features Vir in the titular role of a young man from Saharanpur, who wants to be the greatest comedian in the world. While he is a great writer, he lacks good comic timing. Determined to achieve his dream, he decides to go to any extent to make sure the world notices his talent.

I want people to understand that this show is not just about a guy, who is murdering, it is about ambition vs morality. It is a tale of morality versus ambition. It is a simple question about to what extent one can go for their ambition.

I want people to enjoy the show, which is well-made, well created and well enacted, Advani told PTI.

The director-producer said he had been trying to collaborate with Vir for the longest time and Hasmukh seemed an apt choice.

The germ of the idea for came from Vir and he gave some suggestions to make the story more appealing.

Vir came with an idea, he said he has a concept I am a comedian, who is from a small town and is a murderer'.

"We discussed it and I said there is no dilemma or conflict in his life, suppose he has a bad comic timing and his timing only improves if he does a murder, before every show he has to do a murder. While he wants to be the best comedian in the country, he is no longer innocent for that ambition.

Advani said with a murdered background, the challenge for the team was to make the character likeable.

It is very difficult, I hope people get it. I want people to cheer for him. I don't want people to hate him. That is where the writing comes in. So one has to understand why he murders and who he murders, how he murders, these are the three questions one has to answer, he added.

According to the filmmaker, Vir has worked hard to capture the essence of the character.

It is challenging because Vir is a Bandra boy. He is from the city. To play the boy from Saharanpur, he had to get the accent right so he sat with a diction tutor. He worked very hard for this part. No one would think of casting Vir as a boy from Saharanpur. So he had to prove with this show that he is not only a stand-up comedian but also a good actor.

The series, directed by Nikhil Gonsalves, also features Ranvir Shorey, Manoj Pahwa, Ravi Kishan, Amrita Bagchi, Suhail Nayyar, Inaamulhaq and Raza Murad. "Hasmukh" produced for Applause Entertainment by Emmay Entertainment, the show will debut on Netflix on April 17.

Advani said for him the aim, through his company Emmay Entertainment is to create unusual content for OTT platform.