EXCLUSIVE interview of director Nikkhil Advani on 'Mumbai Diaries 26/11' success and 20 years of 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani completes 20 years in the industry this year as a director. He began his directorial journey with Kal Ho Naa Ho, an instant success, and then went on to direct numerous films. Over the years. his choices have become far braver, with content like Batla House, Rocket Boys, Adhura, and more recently Mumbai Diaries 26/11, which he has directed too.

Season two of the show just streamed on Amazon Prime Video IN and opened to rave reviews just like the previous one. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, he opened up about the responses he has received for the show so far, what made the show a success, and the memories he has of his first film.

Edited excerpts from the interview

What are the responses you have been receiving for Mumbai Diaries 26/11 Season 2?

They have been quite phenomenal. Season one won so many awards. For season two, the pressure was to see whether we’ll be able to make it as big as season one, but a lot of reviews have said this is a much better season than season one, the best season two for a show ever. I’m very thrilled and vindicated with the reviews.

What inspired you to make a show on the 26/11 attacks and then show the aftermath?

I was just going to make a medical drama and I didn’t it was about 26/11 or about 26/7, I just wanted to tell the stories of frontline workers and nurses, medical staff in a government hospital. The theme of the show is that those who heal are sometimes the most broken. Most of the reviewers have said the storm inside the hospital is so overwhelming that the storm outside takes a backseat.

How did you prepare as a filmmaker for the two seasons, to show the attacks and then the floods?

The prep is always intensive. We at Emmay Entertainment have constantly challenged ourselves while putting out stories, be it Airlift, Batla House, POW, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, Rocket Boys, Mumbai Diaries, Adhura, we are constantly trying something new.

How did your create those shots of the attacks the the floods?

I hate VFX. I’m very fortunate to work with some very fine VFX and post-houses, but honestly I like to do everything real. If I have to drop a bridge, I look at my cameraman, my DOP and ask them why we can’t really drop it. The whole team at Emmay has tried to make sure the floods look as real as possible.

What makes you say yes before you come on board for any film or series as a director or producer?

It’s really about thinking if we are starting a conversation. I know people people talk about aspirations but it’s so difficult for the audiences out there to survive day to day. They don’t want to be schooled but entertained. They talk about leaving your brains behind but I don’t know how to do that. When I see something, it has to be about having a conversation. There are two quotes, one of Quentin Tarantino, which says ‘I make films for myself, everyone else is invited.’ The other is by Steven Spielberg, who said ‘It’s not our job to give the audiences what they want, it’s our job to tell the audiences what they want.’

What are your memories of making your first directorial Kal Ho Naa Ho that completes 20 years next month?

I have two big memories of Kal Ho Naa Ho. One, I was very fortunate to be given an opportunity by Karan Johar, his father Yash Johar, his mother Hiroo Johar, to be trusted for a film of this scale, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Jaya Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan. We shot the film in New York, Anil Mehta was the DOP, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy as the music directors, Javed Akhtar as the lyricist. It’s a huge huge film for a debut filmmaker. The second memory is a little sad; while we were filming for the film, we discovered Yash Johar was suffering from cancer, and just after the release, he passed away. These are the two memories I have of Kal Ho Naa Ho.

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