'Tandav' is about India's present and past politics: writer Gaurav Solanki

For "Article 15" co-writer Gaurav Solanki his upcoming project "Tandav", a fictional story inspired by real life, came as an opportunity to delve deep into the past and present Indian politics.

Featuring Saif Ali Khan in the lead, the germ of the web series, Solanki said, came from its director Ali Abbas Zafar, who is making his digital debut with the project.

"He had this very interesting beginning and two-three major characters and that's when I came on board. I had a small team we did brainstorming and did research and that's how I wrote the series," Solanki told PTI in an interview.

"I was excited because it had so many things to say about today's India, India's past and about all of us. Though it is completely fictional it has threads inspired from real life," he added.

The screenwriter said the political drama will explore the ambition and greed for power.

"It is about what people can do for power and why people need power so desperately and what it does to common people. And what happens in power corridors, what kind of manipulation happens, etc. I have tried to go beyond ideology and to the human core of everything."
"Maybe in a genre it is bit close to 'House of Cards', I love that show it is a very well written show. But our story is completely Indian."
"Saif is playing a political leader in his mid-40s. His character is very popular among youth, he comes from a political family. He has the lethal combination of popularity and privilege. While writing we had no actor in mind, but after scripting his name came up and we felt he is the right choice."