Hindi Web-Series ‘The Reunion’ Finds Its Way To Odisha

Hindi Web-Series ‘The Reunion’ Finds Its Way To Odisha

Tourism plays an important role in boosting the growth of any region. When we talk about Odisha Tourism, the tagline “India’s best kept secret”, is most apt. The tourism department is leaving no stones unturned to cater to more visitors and what’s more effective than visual mediums. Recently, along with the support of OTDC (Odisha Tourism Development Corporation), the second season of the Hindi web-series ‘The Reunion’ was shot at many scenic places of the State like Konark, Puri, Similipal, Bhitarkanika, Gajalaxmi Palace of Dhenkanal and more. The production schedule was of 30 days.

Along with the cast, director Danish Aslam, producer Vaibhav Modi and line producer Afnan Amrohi, around 100 members of the team came to shoot in Odisha. The show will be aired on “The Zoom Studios” official YouTube channel in the middle of April this year. My City Links caught up with Amrohi to know more about the shoot.

There are a number of characters, where we have taken some local artists to play those. Odia actor and director Shakti Barala will also be seen acting in this series.

“From Similipal to Bhitarkanika, Konark Temple to Puri Jagannath Temple, the roads of Puri roads and other locations, are used as locales in the series that showcase Odisha. In the series we have shown the family of the main character to be from Odisha and he has returned from outside the state to his native to have a reunion. There are some dialogues in Odia as well.” said Amrohi, who has been associated with shows like ‘Times of Music’ for MX player, ‘Maharana Pratap’ for Sony Entertainment, and others.

“In terms of executing the shoot, OTDC has shown great support towards us. Whether it is for any type of permission or any special requirement, the officials from OTDC have helped us to get things done from their side.” he added. 

The first season of the series told the story of a family reunion. This time all the cast has changed except the lead, Veer Rajwant Singh. There are five primary characters in this show. Veer Rajwant Singh is the main lead. KK Raina is playing his father, who is a very senior person in the film industry. He is famous for playing Byomkesh Bakshi’s associate Ajit Kumar Banerji in the 1993 Doordarshan detective series Byomkesh Bakshi. Kashmira Irani, who has played pivotal roles in films like Rangoon, Tiger Zinda Hai and Bharat earlier, is playing the love interest of Veer. Lillete Dubey is playing Veer’s mother. She is best known for her acclaimed performances in films like Zubeida, Monsoon Wedding, Baghban, Kal Ho Na Ho, etc. Prabal Panjabi is playing Veer’s brother, who is well known for his acting in films like Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, and Mere Dad Ki Maruti.

Amrohi, said, “In terms of location this time we thought of exploring Odisha, because of the virgin locations, the vibe and the fresh look and feel. These locations are not usually exposed to the camera. Rarely some shoots have been done here, and they are mostly for local projects.”

“There are few limitations, for example, we failed to get a single vanity van in Odisha, so we have had to fetch one from Kolkata. But overall we are happy with the people and their hospitality, be it the owner of the Gajlaxmi Palace Jitu Singhdeo or people we have interacted with at other places.” he signed off.