Actor Asha Negi and director Tapasvi Mehta talk about their new show ‘Khwabon Ke Parindey’

The show is about three young friends and a stranger going on a road trip in Australia

June 12, 2021 04:29 pm | Updated June 30, 2021 04:36 pm IST

Still from the Khwabon Ke Parindey

Still from the Khwabon Ke Parindey

Road movies are more endearing to us than many other genres. This is perhaps because most of them are about a character’s (or characters’) inward journey that we usually relate to. As the characters discover themselves along the way, we, too, wish for similar experiences.

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“The idea of a road trip is to expand your consciousness,” says Leo Braudy, a cultural historian at the University of Southern California in a Washington Post article . “The road picture is like that — going from place to place, meeting all sorts of people. It’s a cliche, but it’s true — it’s about the journey, not the destination.”

Tapasvi’s Mehta’s new six-episode web series on Voot, Khwabon Ke Parindey , is also about a journey. Three friends Bindiya, Dixit and Megha go on a road trip from Melbourne to Perth. They meet a stranger along the way. The show tries to capture their adventures, conflicts, and realisations.

In Hindi, buddy movies almost always involve a trio; for instance, Dil Chahta Hai, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and 3 idiots . tapasvi admits he, too, was influenced by Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara but is quick to add, “Though I don’t think you’ll see any similarities [of those films] in the show.”

There are a few differences. Two of the friends in Khwabon Ke Parindey are females, unlike the aforementioned films with all-male trios. “This is also a story of young adults,” he adds, “It's a very confusing time in life because you don't feel like you're an adult yet from within but the world looks at you as one. You try to delay that process as much as possible, but eventually, you have to come to terms with it. The only ones who can understand what you're going through are your friends.”

The show was born out of tapasvi’s experiences in Australia as a student. “ I was there for about four years. When you move to a new country, it's difficult to gel well with that place. So, the show reflects these insecurities and vulnerabilities,” says the first-time director.

tapasvi was a child actor and has made a few ad films. But directing a web series, he says, was challenging yet fun.

The show traverses several parts of rural Australia, including Silverton in New South Wales, where Mad Max: Fury Road was shot. These locations, Tapasvi says, have rarely been captured on screen before.

Asha Negi, who plays Bindiya, one of the lead characters, adds, “It was a wonderful experience, driving around in an RV through these places.”

Being a travel junkie, she leapt at the opportunity of a series that was, for her, a virtual road trip. “Like our characters, we [the cast members] too went through a change at the end of the journey. We didn’t know each other. But during the shoot, we became really good friends,” she recalls.

Along with the fun of travel, there were logistical challenges of shooting a show on the go. Finding accommodation was one of them. tapasvi and a few crew members even had to sleep on the RV for a few nights. And, the RV itself was not the first one used for the show.

“We had initially booked another RV that had a vintage vibe,” says Asha, “It added a lot of character to the project. Four or five days into the shoot, while we were moving from one place to another it broke down and caught fire. We were all shocked. Luckily, we didn’t shoot a lot and managed to find another one.”

Now, cooped up in her home due to the lockdown, she misses these adventures. “Which is why I think this is the right time to release the show. A lot of people are deprived of travelling. This show will give them the feel of a good journey.”

'Khwabon Ke Parindey' will stream on Voot from June 14.

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