"'Maniesh Paul will break his comic mold with Rafuchakkar'"

A forthcoming Hindi web series 'Rafuchakkar' is creating a massive buzz in trade circles for many reasons. Headlined by versatile star Maniesh Paul in an intriguing role as a conman, this engrossing tale promises to be a clutter breaker, thanks to powerful performances and an unpredictable plot. Creator duo Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar are understandably excited and believe this show will stand apart even in the glut of content on streaming platforms.

Says Arjun Singgh Baran who co-founded prolific production house GSEAMS with Kartk D Nishandar, "This show is extremely special and close to us because I and Kartk actually started writing it almost four years back and a lot of work and thought has gone into it. It's exceedingly rare to see a good, slick, realistic show about con artists and this show is the exception. It will be pathbreaking and hopefully will be loved by even the audiences in the heartland. Rafuchakkar' will also be on par with any international show in terms of scale, production values, and even the prosthetics."

About the decision to cast Maniesh Paul as a protagonist and a conman, Kartk says, "Maniesh has been a delight to work with. He was not only involved in the production but also in the pre-production, the prep, the look test, script readings, and a lot more. People until now have seen Maniesh as a comic or in light-hearted roles but he's going to break this mold with a profoundly serious, dramatic performance. He's given his hundred percent to this project and our association with him will not just be restricted to 'Rafuchakkar'. We will work with him again very soon."

Discussing the cast which also includes Sushant Singh, Priya Bapat, and Aksha Pardasany Kartk says, "We brainstormed with the Jio Team, the Content Head Tejkarran Singh Bajaj and Director Ritam Shrivastav and the first person that we zeroed upon was Maniesh Paul. Everyone sees in him the perfect host, an actor with perfect comic timing and we wanted to cast him in a serious, gritty role that would take everyone by surprise. And nobody could have looked as fierce as Sushant Singh as the antagonist even though he is the sweetest person to work with and a very humble gentleman. Aksha Pardasany and Aakash Dahiya are also talents to watch out for. "

As creators, both Arjun and Kartk want to be associated with stories that are realistic and relatable says Arjun, "We want to tell thought-provoking tales and that is why we are also making 'Taali', a dream project where Sushmita Sen is playing transgender activist Gauri Sawant. The transgender community as you know was recognised by the Supreme Court as the ‘third gender’ in 2014 after a petition filed by Gauri and Laxmi Narayan Tripathy. 'Taali' argues against the erasure of an entire gender and these are the kind of stories that can truly make a difference and must be made more often."