Lootere, streaming on Disney+Hotstar, tells the story of a Ukrainian trading vessel being attacked on international waters by Somali pirates, followed by the chaos of a hostage crisis as the ship’s captain (played by Rajat Kapoor), the Somali commander (Martial Batchamen Tchana) and a scheming businessman (Vivek Gomber), fight for control.

Co-created by filmmaker Hansal Mehta and marking the solo directorial debut of his son Jai, the series has met with a significant amount of praise. t2 chatted with the father-son duo to know more.

Lootere has been praised for its plot, performances and setting. Looking back, is there anything you feel you could have done differently?

Jai Mehta: I wouldn’t do anything differently. I would do it exactly the same way. This journey was worth it.
Hansal Mehta: I feel we could have made it faster. Next time around, it won’t take so much time. When we started Lootere, Jai wasn’t even 30 and when we finished it, he was quite deep into his 30s (both laugh)!

What was the genesis of Lootere?

Jai: The story is by Anshuman (Sinha). He had an idea which he shared with our creator and producer Shailesh Singh. Shaileshji got Vishal Kapoor and Suparn Varma to develop it into a screenplay. They wrote it for one-and-a-half years through the pandemic and eventually came to us with the script.

We were finishing Scam (1992) at that time. When I first read the script of Lootere, I thought that it was very brave. I had not expected to ever read a script like this. It was very refreshing to know that we are headed on a path where we are willing to make such stories. That is what brought us on board.

Doesn’t the thriller format of Lootere organically lend itself to a binge watch and not a weekly episode drop?

Hansal: With every new episode, there is new feedback, new appreciation and new conversation. This decision to do a weekly drop by Disney+Hotstar is quite interesting. It is a first for us and we are getting to experience the longevity of a show. Initially, we were not in favour of this but we decided to go with the wisdom of people who are in this business.

A binge-watch is how we have been accustomed to consuming stories on OTT. Having said that, Game of Thrones was a weekly drop across many seasons, and so was Succession.

I know this practice is unusual for Indian shows but ultimately, the idea is that the story must reach a larger audience. It will anyway be available for a binge-watch after eight episodes.
Jai: Even though we did create Lootere as a binge-watch, I like the fact that it is constantly keeping the conversation going and people are viewing each episode as its own beast, which is also fun. There is a lot of learning from this. Being a Gujarati, if there is one thing I know, it is that numbers never lie and if the numbers are saying it is doing well, I am happy to embrace it (smiles).

Was there anything specific about the story that caught your attention the most?

Jai: When the trailer came out, most people found obvious comparisons to a film (Captain Phillips, starting Tom Hanks). When they watched the show, they realised it is not. I would be lying if I said I did not feel the same way when I heard the story. I think what caught my attention the most was the character of Vikrant (played by Vivek Gomber). The fact that it is the story of an immigrant, an outsider who is trying to survive, is what interested me. He has come up from the rough, he has taken over his father-in-law’s business.

I found exploring that side of Somalia very exciting. Making a hostage drama is very different. And this is more than that. It has got politics, it has family, it has so many other things. I liked the fact that the story could go beyond just the ship.
Hansal: I was struck by the ambition of the story. It tries to do something that has not been done before. That is always a reason of getting attached to something. Questions like: ‘Has this been done before?’ ‘Is it going to give me sleepless nights? If it is, then it should be done.’

On paper, we could see that we did not have the kind of resources that Hollywood has. But we were presented with an opportunity to do things in the manner that we were able to. We had this ambitious show and the challenge was to do it well within the available resources. What has ultimately come out is quite an achievement. That was the exciting thing that drew us instantly to this narrative. One of Jai’s strengths is that he loves things that are larger than life. This was an opportunity for him to showcase that talent.

Jai, did making Lootere give you sleepless nights?

Jai: Yes, but in a good way. The scale was very large and it was quite nerve-wracking. Hansal sir rightly said that we were trying to make a Hollywood series on a Bollywood budget. That was the tricky thing.

But budgets have never stopped us from telling our stories in the best way possible. In fact, it acts as a motivator. I had sleepless nights but a lot of these sleepless nights were because I was looking forward to the next day.

The two of you have told some compelling stories — Scam 1992 to Scoop to now Lootere — in the long format over the last few years. How has that helped you evolve creatively?

Hansal: Over the last two decades, long-form storytelling has improved in quality. It has taught us new ways of telling stories, of engaging with audiences, engaging with ourselves. I think I have watched more shows than films in the last 15 years. They have been a learning ground. Some of the best writing and best performances have been on streaming over the the last few years, things that wouldn’t have been possible in a (film with) studio setting.

The discovery of new actors with formidable talent and of big stars exploring a different side to themselves has happened with streaming. It has opened up the possibility of telling stories beyond the limitations of a full-length film.

For us, it was better late than never. I always wanted to do it and I am glad we embraced it. I am glad that the audience is reciprocating what we are making. We will now alternate between a show and a film. That is a great balance.
Jai: I have been trying to direct for a while. I have been writing for quite some time now. I feel what has been really good about this medium is that it has embraced newer talent a lot more than the theatres did. It gives makers like me or say Abhay Pannu (the director of Rocket Boys) an opportunity. There is good, healthy competition and it is fun.

Also, the web format has no structure as such, there is no interval. The interval in a series happens only when the viewer pauses it. That is in contrast to cinema where makers are challenged to constantly hold your attention. Working on the web helps us improve our writing.

I would love to see my work on the big screen for sure, but I find the pressure of the box office very unhealthy. Films can’t be judged by a weekend or a week. Some films stand the test of time and if they are good films, they will live forever. Most filmmakers are being forced to do things that will get them monetary success rather than focusing on making a good film.
Hansal: I love the smell, the idea, the romance of a movie theatre, the wonderment, the magic unfolding on screen. I enjoy that but at the same time, as a filmmaker, I believe that my work needs to be seen by maximum number of people and that is now happening with the web.