On the surface, Selection Day is a coming-of-age tale about two teenage brothers and their cricket-obsessed father. But dig deeper and Netflix’s original series, based on Aravind Adiga’s 2016 novel of the same name, throws open various facets of identity – class, religion and sexuality – all tied together in Mumbai, a melting pot of a city. While interviewing the five male actors at a suburban Mumbai hotel, one thing is apparent. Mohammad Samad, Yash Dholye, Karanvir Malhotra, Shiv Pandit and Mahesh Manjrekar come from diverse backgrounds – be it their experience as actors (or non-actors) or their relationship with Mumbai. Naturally, the perspectives they bring to the show are fairly distinct, and so are their takeaways from Adiga's story.
City of dreams
There’s 18-year-old Samad, playing Manju Kumar, a 14-year-old boy struggling under the dictate of a controlling father. Hailing from Roorkee and currently studying in class 12th, Samad, who was last seen in Tumbbad, hopes to enroll himself in a college in Mumbai and pursue acting on the sidelines. Originally from Delhi, 23-year-old Malhotra plays Javed Ansari, an upper-class South Mumbai brat, who shares an unlikely bond with Manju. Essaying the role of Radha Kumar, Manju’s older brother, Dholye had a lot to unlearn about the city – having spent all his life here – to play an outsider in the series. Pandit, who plays a mythical character, Lord Subramanyam, came to Mumbai to become a radio jockey but later acted in films like Shaitan (2011) and Loev (2017). Lastly, Manjrekar, who plays a friendly cricket coach in Selection Day , has spent two decades as an actor and director in the Hindi and Marathi film industries.
“Mumbai is a hard nut to crack,” declares Manjrekar, sitting in a hotel room, overlooking the Arabian sea. Selection Day chronicles the journey of a father who brings his two teenage boys to the city with hopes of climbing the socio-economic ladder through cricket. But the realisation that opportunities are unequal and influenced by privilege soon dawns on them. “Where you come from plays such a crucial role in this city, where everything is so extreme,” observes Malhotra. For Pandit, the series is a commentary on the class divide in India, not Mumbai alone. “Opportunities are more in metros [but the series shows] how affluence assists you in being able to get that opportunity,” he says. The mere mention of unequal distribution of wealth in the metropolis instantly riles up Manjrekar. “By choice, I don’t shop at Phoenix Mall,” he claims. “I hope it burns down someday because it is built on so many lives of mill workers. This taking over of the city [by] the upper class is ruining Mumbai.”
Discovery and acceptance
In addition to class dynamics, there’s a tender track of homosexual self-discovery that Adiga’s novel explores. Interestingly, it’s the friendship between a privileged teen (Javed) and an outsider (Manju) that leads to several realisations – including Manju’s love for science. “A lot of Javed is hidden [also] because of the privileges he comes from,” shares Malhotra, who finds the show’s depiction of self-acceptance the most resonating. Samad nods in agreement. He says that their friendship instils confidence in Manju to pursue his interests beyond cricket, thus defying his tyrannical father and toxic masculinity.
There’s similar camaraderie among the actors as well. Manjrekar says he went around backslapping the young actors to build a rapport and make them comfortable on sets. “One or two swear words does the trick,” he laughs, adding that he advises new artistes to refrain from joining acting schools. “They are already here after passing an audition,” reasons the 60-year-old actor. Samad recalls being corrected by Manjrekar for swallowing the last words of his dialogues. “He asked me to keep a pencil in my mouth and practice,” smiles Samad.
Abundant universe
While a novel can dive deep into the thoughts of a 14-year-old protagonist through exposition, Selection Day introduces a new character, Lord Subramanyam (or Lord S.), who is a physical manifestation of Manju’s inner thoughts and conflicts. “When an individual is lost at sea like Manju, they start reaching out for help. At a time like this, we end up thinking a bit extra within ourselves,” says Pandit. “So Lord S. is a visual representation of his inner self.” The actor, who grew up in a religious household, has a spiritual answer to give when asked about his takeaway from Selection Day. “What really resonates with me is that the universe is abundant, and if you have faith, miracles will happen,” he says, hoping that the show also connects with the audience at a much deeper level.
Selection Day is currently streaming on Netflix
