Thinkistan was originally titled Ikigai: Rajnish Lall

 Rajnish Lall

MUMBAI: Creative producer Rajnish Lall talks about his first web series Thinkistan, his future projects, and more. Read on.

What according to you does the web space have to offer in the future?

Open up minds and help Indians think more progressively, faster. Most of the content in the web space is much fresher, contemporary, and radical that what TV has offered. But then, the TV industry has a lot of restriction and censorship. I hope and wish that content makers like us, aggregators, and OTT platforms put more emphasis on original content of global standards.

Are you planning to make a show for the television space as well?

No. I'm focusing on web series and features apart from TVCs and digital brand films (which is our other vertical), the reasons for our existence as a production house today.    

How was your experience working with the cast and crew?

Great. We cast 97 characters for the first 22 episodes, that is, S1 and S2. It took us almost 5 months... but we've got what we wanted. We did almost a month-long workshop with our primary characters, so when we reached the set, they had already bonded and appeared to be working for the same ad agency. And the performances of all the actors are also being talked about as a key reason for audiences liking Thinkistan, pan India across SECs.

The writer and director Paddy has been a part of advertising in the past, as have I. So we gelled well form the onset. We knew the world of advertising, especially that era from 1996 onward, rather well. The other crew members were also handpicked after much deliberation and technical scrutiny... so no complaints.

What was the thought behind the name Thinkistan?

Well, here's a bit of history. The original name of the show was Ikigai.... which is a Japanese word for 'purpose of life', as this show is largely about the journey of our 2 protagonists and other key characters spanning over 2 decades. But closer to the date of release, we ideated with the MX Team and arrived at this name, which will easily be understood by more people and is yet unusual enough to stand out among a deluge of shows being created now. Evidently, it's partially English and Hindi. The protagonists are English and Hindi copywriters. And since the show is set in the world of advertising, where a a lot of thinking goes in creating ads and campaigns so... Thinkistan fits like a glove!           

Your background is advertising. What gave you the idea of a web series?

My background is advertising, but it was Paddy who thought of setting up a show on the world of advertising, as this will give opportunity to show creativity, glamour, aesthetic production value, drama, etc., all under one roof. Once he shared the idea with me, there was no way I could have let go of the opportunity to produce this. I quit advertising long ago... but relived my early part of that professional life while making this show. Advertising is a very layered profession with many departments and talent coming together to make even a simple ad. And I knew it will take an insider (like us) to give a real, authentic, and tasteful show on the advertising industry. 

It was a tough production... 69 days of shoot. And we have over 530 minutes of high-quality edited content for S1 and S2.           

What are some future projects in the pipeline for Jigsaw Pictures?

We're are in early discussions with a couple of OTT platforms for 2 other web series. The screenplay of a feature film has just been completed. I have, along with the director, who has been locked, just started meeting actors... a couple of studios are in talks with us. But we're exploring only high quality and concept content.  And Jigsaw Pictures will continue to produce TV commercials.

How much do you think the entertainment industry has developed since ‘The Fall’ 12 years ago?

Haha... It has 'risen' a lot. For the better. The content around us is the testimony of how far and speedily we have travelled in the entertainment industry.

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