Director Ruchir Arun has spoken about the experience of making ‘Musafir Cafe’, which stars Vikrant Massey, Mahima Makwana and Vedika Pinto. The filmmaker said in a statement that the series has been receiving encouraging responses from viewers. Having previously directed projects such as ‘Little Things’, ‘Ghar Waapsi’ and ‘Loot Kaand’, Ruchir said ‘Musafir Cafe’ demanded careful planning and teamwork throughout production.The director opened up in an exclusive interview with ETimes, “One of the biggest challenges with long-form storytelling is that you’re expected to shoot far more material than you would for a feature film, while still maintaining the cinematic quality audiences have come to expect from streaming shows. That was our biggest challenge on Musafir Cafe-For me, the crew and the actors alike. Every single day, we were trying to balance speed with craftsmanship, making sure that despite the pace of production, we never compromised on the emotional or visual quality of the show. What made that possible was the team’s collective belief in the material. Our Director of Photography, Anirrudh Patankar, our Production Designer, Naveen Lohara, and our Costume Designer, Roshni Bose, along with their incredible teams, cared deeply about these characters and this story. They pushed themselves on set every single day, and I think that commitment is visible in every frame.”
Director Ruchir Arun praises Vikrant Massey’s performance
Speaking about Vikrant Massey, Ruchir said the actor’s natural style of performing made him the ideal choice for the character of Chander. He added that Vikrant’s honesty as a performer helped create believable emotions throughout the series.The director also highlighted how the actor encouraged his co-stars during filming, which strengthened the chemistry between the characters.He said, “Vikrant brings authenticity to his characters, and that’s exactly what Chander needed. Chander is an ordinary man living through extraordinary emotions, and Vikrant has this rare everyman quality that makes him instantly relatable. There is nothing manufactured about his performances. Every day on set, he tapped into his own life experiences and emotional honesty to bring Chander to life. Beyond that, Vikrant is an incredibly generous actor. He constantly supports and elevates his co-actors, and that generosity creates genuine chemistry on screen. When actors trust each other, audiences believe the relationships. I think that’s one of the reasons the emotional world of Musafir Cafe feels so authentic.”
Ruchir Arun on bringing a bestselling novel to life
‘Musafir Cafe’ is adapted from Divya Prakash Dubey’s bestselling novel of the same name. Ruchir revealed that the screenplay had already been written by showrunner and writer Sharanya Rajgopal before he joined the project. He explained that his primary responsibility was to retain the characters’ emotional depth while ensuring the world felt believable on screen.Sharing his approach, Ruchir said, “To be honest, by the time I came on board, the first drafts of the screenplay had already been written by our showrunner and writer, Sharanya Rajgopal. So the work of adapting the novel had largely been done by her. But those scripts had emerged out of the wonderful characters that author Divya Prakash Dubey had created, and the world Sharanya had built around them felt rich and lived in. As a director, my focus then was on preserving the soul of these characters, and the authenticity of the world. More than recreating the novel, I wanted audiences to believe these people were real, and to see themselves in Chander, Sudha and Preeti.”Apart from ‘Musafir Cafe’, Ruchir is currently directing ‘Nazdeekiyan’, an upcoming web series that will stream on OTT. Although he chose not to reveal much about the story, he confirmed that it revolves around two couples and explores mature relationships.The filmmaker also said the project is special because it marks his first collaboration with Dharma Productions.He shared, “It’s still too early for me to talk about the details of the project, but I can say that Nazdeekiyan is a mature love story centered around two couples, and it will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It’s a very special project for me because it’s the first time, I am working with Dharma Productions and what better a place to tell a love story than at Dharma? More than anything, I’m excited to bring another heartfelt love story to audiences. If Musafir Cafe explores how love evolves over time, Nazdeekiyan will explore relationships through a very different lens, and I can’t wait for people to experience it.”With ‘Musafir Cafe’ continuing to receive positive feedback, Ruchir is already focused on his next project. As audiences continue to connect with Musafir Cafe, the director hopes ‘Nazdeekiyan’ will offer another heartfelt experience.
