EXCLUSIVE interview of Amruta Khanvilkar, Vivek Gomber, and director Jai Mehta for Disney Hotstar's 'Lootere'

Lootere, which is directed by Hansal Mehta’s son Jai Mehta has nothing to do with the 1993 film of the same name that starred Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. There was a moment when the actress seductively came out of deep waters to tantalize Deol and the audience. And this show too is about everything that can happen in deep waters. Reportedly, it’s inspired by real-life events that involved aggression, shrewdness, negotiations, and ultimately freedom.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Amruta Khanvilkar, Vivek Gomber, and director Jai Mehta spoke about the show.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

Jai, after being an AD and a producer for so many years, at what point did you say, ‘Now I’m ready to direct?’

Actually, I always wanted to direct. Producing and being an AD was, that was purely for end. This is for fun.

Vivek, without revealing much about your character, what I observed about the show is that he’s confident, he’s charismatic, and he’s very shrewd. So how did you prepare for this role?

I think a lot of credit should go to the the script, the text, you know, Vishal and Suparn and, the idea, which was, you know, Shailesh, who’s a producer and creator. It was his idea. So, there was already a lot of, stuff available as an actor to kind of, you know, sink your teeth into. Also, the audition process was pretty long. So it started in, like, January, finished in, like, July. So it was a big job. I knew that. So you just automatically, you’re in sync with it, and, you know, the more information you get, the more, involved you want to be in it. So I would say the text really helped in an understanding Jai’s vision and Hansal’s vision and and how they wanted to mount the show. And then you prepare as much as you want, then you land up in South Africa, and you’re like, I’ve never been to South Africa before this. I don’t know. So then, the environment there plays its own part as well. All of these elements, I think, helped you kind of prepare and but, you know, it all starts with the text, so I would start there.

Amruta, how did you prepare for your character?

My audition was never long. It was just one audition. People are just so good. You see? Some people have to try really hard. Some are just effortless, natural, you know, like Rajat sir. So, you know, it’s a privilege. So I had gone to Mukesh Chhabra’s office for something else and I was sent to Jai for the audition of this show and that’s how it all happened.

Jai, is there a room for improvisation in a show like this?

I think everything what happens in when you’re shooting in expanses. You have a certain image of what you want to make, but, nothing is going according. We had a script. We knew where we had to go. The script had everything. It was detailed. It had everything. And the characters were defined. They all had their back stories in place. And, they knew where they had to go. Now how do we get there was honestly left to them. Whatever their dialogues were done entirely by them. Because I think, also, that place was very challenging.

Vivek, as an actor, playing someone similar to you in real life or somebody poles apart?

I don’t really wanna be defined playing one thing or the other. Whether you would want somebody to be close to you, I don’t know how that would matter really. At the end of the day, it’s still me. You know, it’s still acting and craft that way. Of course, the further away it is from you, it’s more challenging. It’s more exciting. You get to live in a skin that you wouldn’t normally choose to or get away with in real life. I mean, you know, it’s a fictional show. You can’t just go around like how I go around or my character does in the show. You know? So, of course, it’s a lot of fun. And the little boy in me had a blast, you know, running around, action, and, having such a wonderful wife. You know? Having such a wonderful wife. Such a wonderful wife. It complimented the director before the schedule.

Amruta, you have so many years of experience in films and television and OTT shows. So what do you have to say about the way the content has evolved over the years? 

The content content has been evolving. After COVID, there has been a drastic 360 degree change into what people want to see, what they expect out of makers and actors, and I think we are still getting used to it. Before COVID, I did films like Razi, Malang, Satyameva Jayate. I think that is what is, important. That’s it.