Karan D Kapadia is basking in all the love coming his way for the latest release, Hunkkaar: The Roar. Recently, the co-creator delved deeper into the making of it, revealing his approach to showcasing trauma in a more realistic manner. “We were very intentional about taking a non-melodramatic approach to trauma,” he says and adds, “I love Bollywood’s melodrama genre, but we wanted to look at trauma in a grounded way.”
The seed for the show was planted years ago. “We came across a powerful article about a godman who had created an industrial-scale system of sexual abuse,” says Kapadia. “He had constructed a world in which his devotees believed that what he was doing to them was not wrong.”
“That was the starting point. It led us into deeper questions about how we perceive women, and the fact that rape remains a major social issue in India that needs to be addressed. From there, we developed the David-and-Goliath theme: A 17-year-old from Gen Z taking on a system. The man at the centre of the story eventually represents a level of power comparable to that of the state. We also wanted to explore the arduous road to justice,” he adds.
As Karan Kapadia and co-creator Nitya Mehra’s series progressed, Mehra mentions that Choksi’s godman character would represent just more than a religious leader, it would also display corrupted power. “Although the story deals with rape, which is one of the biggest social issues to have plagued India for decades, the godman became something larger than the spiritual leader we initially imagined,” she adds.
Initially, the series had gone into the work through Kapadia’s Mangata Films label, but it received a bigger shoulder when Applause Entertainment came onboard. Another company in Applause’s extended circle, Ananya Birla’s new firm Birla Studios, also boarded alongside producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
“I’m always drawn to stories that have depth and meaning, and Hunkkaar: The Roar
is one such story,” says Chopra. “It takes on a deeply sensitive subject and tells the story with honesty and conviction. I have immense respect for Nitya and Karan, Applause and the entire team for the thought and care they’ve brought to this project.”
Karan Kapadia and Nitya Mehra heap praise on Sameer Nair who stepped down in April after nearly a decade as CEO, as “the key person behind the process” of producing without an anchor commissioner. Kapadia says that the resulting program has “the potential to travel internationally,” adding: “Without Sameer, we wouldn’t be here. He was a rock for us. He championed the show, enhanced our vision and gave us the space to grow into the filmmakers we are today.”
Deepak Segal, producer at Applause, says: “The success of Hunkkaar: The Roar is a testament to the power of stories that are deeply rooted yet universally felt. We believe the future of Indian storytelling lies in stories that emerge from our local realities, from the ambition of our young nation and travel far beyond them. The brilliant response to Hunkkaar shows us that when a story speaks to something deeply human and can appeal to the hearts of the audience, its horizon can be limitless.”
The shooting of Hunkkaar was wrapped by 2024, but it was Kapadia’s “perfectionist” eye-view towards editing that brought it all together. “We wanted to take our time, find the right home and make sure it was mounted on the right platform in the way we wanted,” says Kapadia. “It wasn’t really a delay in the traditional sense. We had the show in the bag. The question was how to release it with the kind of marketing and positioning we felt it deserved. It is a luxury to have the time to mount something properly, and the response suggests that the approach worked.”
Nitya Mehra says that the time was serendipitous as JioHotstar came onboard with a service launching the series in territories such as Canada and the UK as the show debuted on September 25. What makes Hunkkaar a standout is it strikes a balance between legal procedural following a high-profile case alongwith a story of shame, justice and power. Bringing this balance and attracting audience through it was not just a mere coincidence.
“We made a conscious decision in the writers’ room to be aware of the subject matter and the fact that it could become a procedural,” says Mehra. “Structurally, we wanted to bind it together in a way that felt immersive.”
Kapadia, who is known for producing titles like Jolly LLB 3, Blank and Durgamati: The Myth
– says the approach hit the mark. “Indian audiences are desperate for content that challenges them, moves them and inspires them,” he argues. “When there is a good story, it works.
“The emotional intelligence of the audience is expanding, partly because technology is moving so quickly and hundreds of millions of people have smartphones. The volume of data and content people encounter is exponential. Many viewers have told us, ‘Thank you for trusting us to read between the lines and for not hammering everything over our heads. Thank you for taking the time to articulate the pain.’”
To tell the complex story, both creators took reference from David Fincher’s nuanced approach to filmmaking, while Joe Penhall’s Netflix serial killer series Mindhunter
brought a wave of confidence “that it was possible to keep audiences immersed and allow them to sit uncomfortably in a moment,” as Mehra puts it, and believes that Hunkkaar has made it through with its substantial subject matter.
“One of the victories for Karan and me is receiving messages from people saying they feel seen and represented on screen. We made our previous show about an all-girls boarding school, and girls from small-town India told us they had never seen themselves represented before.
“With Hunkar, young Indians are finding their voice. The world is burning, and people are speaking up. I think this show represents that voice.”
“At JioHotstar, we want to back fresh, distinct voices telling authentic Indian stories, which drive conversations and help shape society,” says Alok Jain, Head of Hindi and English Entertainment for Streaming, TV and Studios at the Reliance- and Disney-backed JioHotstar. “Hunkkaar is exactly that.”
“What drew us most was its heart – an ordinary girl who finds extraordinary courage. Meenu is 17 when she walks into a police station and accuses a man her whole town worships. She’s not a conventional hero, and that’s what makes her stand so powerful. It’s also why others find the courage to stand with her.”
Jain also heaps praise on Kapadia and Mehra for “handling a difficult subject with care and without sensationalism,” and notes that Aneet Padda “brings a fearless presence to Meenu,” while the vision was skillfully backed by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Birla Studios and Applause Entertainment. The audience response to it is proof, he believes.
“Hunkkaar is one of our most engaging Hindi specials this year, with viewers moving straight from one episode to the next. As JioHotstar expands into new markets, it’s encouraging to see the show trending not just in India, but also in Singapore, the UK and Canada. That’s the kind of storytelling we want to keep investing in – made in India, for the world.”
Hunkkaar is making the right noise in the US with its potential distribution. The noise might simply turn into a full-blown roar in the near future.
