Sudhir Mishra on Tanaav: It’s definitely pro-India, but you try to understand the tragedy of Kashmir

Directed and co-written by Sudhir Mishra, SonyLIV’s latest original series Tanaav, is an official adaptation of celebrated Israeli thriller series Fauda. Fauda (available on Netflix) follows an undercover Israeli unit behind Palestinian lines as they fight to stop terrorists in the West Bank. Indian adaptation Tanaav transports that story to Kashmir and follows a group of Indian intelligence agents tracking down a terrorist organisation. (Also Read | Tanaav review: Sudhir Mishra’s Fauda remake is well-intentioned but fails to capture nuances of Kashmir conflict)

I haven’t watched Fauda, but a cursory look through the first few episodes seems to suggest that Tanaav is a frightfully faithful, scene-for-scene remake. Despite that, filmmaker Sudhir Mishra insists that the series is an adaptation and not the kind of dead-behind-the-eyes carbon copy that has plagued a number of adapted streaming shows (see: Call My Agent Bollywood).

Tanaav boasts a large ensemble including Manav Vij, Shashank Arora, Rajat Kapoor, and Arbaaz Khan among others. At the press junket of the show, Sudhir Mishra spoke to me about the show’s Kashmir setting, the shaky politics of Fauda, and the art of creating tension on screen.

Edited Excerpts:

What are the biggest challenges of remaking a show like Fauda and adapting it for India?

Well, first of all, it isn’t two countries. Unlike Fauda, Tanaav isn’t about two countries or two religions. I was very careful of that. We started with the screenplay and dialogue and adapted them from the original to set it in Kashmir. And I tried to deep dive into Kashmir and not take Kashmiris for granted, and present Kashmir as not just a pretty backdrop as we see so often on screen.

And there’s of course a political context. I know my politics. But of course, the show is pro-India, that goes without saying. But you also try and understand the tragedy of things in Kashmir. The innocent bystanders caught in the conflict as collateral damage.

Too often with streaming shows these days, adaptations of foreign shows aren’t reinterpretations as much as they are scene-for-scene, moment-for-moment remakes. And there it feels like a director’s job isn’t to tell a story but merely to execute. How did you navigate that here?

In our case, the choice of where we’re setting the show forces you to rewrite and re-imagine the series. So, you don’t even have the option to do a scene-by-scene remake, you have to change it. For the most part, Tanaav is Fauda reimagined. It’s like being inspired by a series, just as you’re inspired by real life. I watched the original years ago as an audience, but when they asked me to make it, I never revisited it to see how they shot it. The landscape and context are totally different. You have to change it or else you look stupid.

Fauda is also a masterclass in tension. What’s the key to crafting tension and creating heart-racing sequences?

For me, it all stems from the scenes and the story. I never try to create tension. There are technical directors whom you can give any script and they’ll read it and shoot it in a way that’s original. I can’t do that. I have to internalise the material. And then, I don’t know what happens, it’s a very organic process for me. I’ve never tried to figure out that mystery.

Sometimes it doesn’t even come to you till you go on shoot and then the location tells you how to shoot it and the characters tell you how to play them. They talk to you. Half of direction is the art of listening. Some megalomaniac directors think it’s all instructing but it’s actually about listening and responding.

The original Fauda has also come under a lot of criticism for its politics, and for providing a strictly Israeli perspective, and shaky portrayal of Palestinians. How did you navigate that with Tanaav?

All you can do is try and understand everyone and put yourself in their place. Kashmir is not homogenous. Everybody doesn’t want the same thing. The idea of the ideal Kashmir is different for different people. That’s what I’ve tried to do. Then you leave the judgment to the audience to get their own perspective. It’s of course quite clear that we’re on the Indian side, but beyond that, it’s on the audience.

I also wanted to ask about the casting. It’s, of course, an ensemble show and you seem to have a mixture of known names and lesser-known actors. What was that process like and was there any pressure to cast known faces?

Firstly, we tried to cast as many Kashmiris as possible to bring in that authenticity, so that Kashmir wasn’t just something in the background, but also in the faces and the way characters speak. And there was no pressure of that sort. We have fine actors like Manav Vij, Sumit Kaul, Rajat Kapoor and Shashank Arora. There’s no pressure of casting with streaming today. Mostly.

What do you want people to take away from this show?

That these are human beings and we need to have empathy for both sides when arriving at a solution. Hostility doesn’t lead you anywhere.