Indian filmmaker Neeraj Pandey released his new web series titled The Freelancer which is based on the book A Ticket to Syria by Shirish Thorat. The show starring Mohit Raina and Anupam Kher follows the rescue operation of a girl who is held captive in war-torn Syria. During an interview with Variety, Neeraj Pandey opened up about the web series and how it is an “incisive look” at the world of ISIS.
2 things you need to know
- The Freelancer starring Anupam Kher and Mohit Raina released on Disney+ Hotstar on September 1.
- Neeraj Pandey reveals that some scenes shown in the series were not mentioned in the book.
Neeraj Pandey talks about The Freelancer
Neeraj Pandey revealed that there were many things that author Shirish did not mention in the book, but were integrated into the series to elevate the whole story. He said, “There were so many things that Shirish had not mentioned in the book, but when he started sharing those things, it became evident that when we were to adapt for the screen, we had to integrate those bits. And actually, those are the bits that elevate the whole story.”
(Neeraj Pandey talks about the story of The Freelancer | Image: Instagram)
Neeraj Pandey on his decision to adapt the book
The creator of The Freelancer talked about his decision to adapt the book into a series rather than making a movie. “It [the book] was a very incisive look at that world. And which meant that we had to spend more time with the characters and were invested in the story, which would mean that, ultimately, six hours would be the best [format], to tell this particular story,” he added. He further talked about shooting for the film and said, “To recreate in Syria in Morocco, that was a huge challenge, we practically had to rent out an entire village.”
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