Silence Director Aban Bharucha Deohans Opens Up About Her Love For Crime Thrillers, Her Future Projects And More In This Exclusive Interaction

A number of riveting new movies are going to release on ZEE5 soon, including a murder mystery titled ‘‘Silence…can you hear it?’. The film has been directed by Aban Deohans and produced by Zee Studios. It features Prachi Desai, Manoj Bajpayee among others in the lead roles. It revolves around the mysterious disappearance of a woman whose corpse turns up a day later after she goes missing. Recently, director Deohans in an exclusive interview with ZEE5 revealed quite a few details about her upcoming murder mystery making us more eager about her project. Read on…

Watch the trailer of Suraj Par Mangal Bhari here:

What is the story behind the unusual title?

Aban shared that the film is a whodunnit and its title is based on the fact that ‘silence is all that remains after everything ends’.

What inspired you to make Silence?

“Crime-thriller is my favourite genre so I didn’t need any specific inspiration..” she said. She also shared that she loves this genre so much that when she writes, her first page is about ‘who will I kill this time?’

What prompted you to approach Prachi Desai?

Deohans shared that Prachi was a part of the list of actors who got shortlisted for her role. She shared that she got very happy when Prachi said yes to the role. Aban said that she always wanted to break the stereotype by showcasing a woman cop who was feminine and Prachi fitted that role perfectly. Aban said, “She is sweet, she is feminine, she has got an intelligent face and things just added up. She is a dream to work with”. Deohans shared that she gave very feminine clothes to Prachi (f0r her role), “I gave her pinks and peaches…interesting jackets, I wanted her to look nice”.

How easy or difficult was it to get other actors such as Manoj Bajpayee on board?

The director jokingly revealed that she got Manoj Bajpayee on board after ‘hounding’ him. Later, she said that the actor was initially hesitant to take up a cop role in the same year in which he had signed up for another cop role. Eventually, after going back and forth for a while, he agreed to play the role of an ACP in her film. She added that Manoj is a friend and has worked with her husband before on Aks, which made things much easier. She also shared that he is ‘fabulous’ to work with as there is never a moment he ‘steps out of his character’, once he has put on his costume and is ready.

How difficult was it to shoot during a pandemic?

“We were all wearing a mask, everybody was sanitizing at least 3-4 times a day so it was not really difficult. It went so well that we finished off (the shooting) in 30 days”, she said.

What was the most challenging video to shoot?

She said that the pre-climax and climax were the most challenging scenes to shoot. “That is where it all culminates, you know? Everything is revealed so it had to be just right”, she shared.

What are your thoughts on the fact that women directors capture emotions better?

This question was asked in reference to actor Arjun Mathur’s statement that claimed women directors capture emotions better. Aban said that apart from the director, even the actor needs to be sensitive and see what the director is seeing (in terms of capturing emotions). She also mentioned that Arjun is a ‘director’s actor’ and did his role brilliantly.

If you had to make another project, what would be your dream team?

Aban said that she would want to shoot with the team of Silence again.

If given a choice, what genre would be your next attempt?

“I have two projects – one is a pure drama. It is a very sensitive story about a mother and her kid. It is called Mera Happy Vala Birthday. Another one is again a crime story which is called My Daddy Bestest”, she said.

 Can you tell us a little bit about your journey?

Speaking on her journey, Aban said, “I have done a lot of theatres. I love acting and I am very passionate about being on stage. I love writing, I have written a book of short stories, I have completed a novel that is now in the editing stage. I write scripts, screenplays, etc. I direct ad films, short films..” she concluded.

Tell us three reasons why one should watch Silence?

“The story, the performance, and my direction”, she said.

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