EXCLUSIVE: Siddharth P Malhotra ECSTATIC with Doctors’ success despite limited promotion; says “Before starting anything, I always take Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Aamir Khan’s blessings; explains why he’d not like to Maharaj 2: “Aur band nahin bajani hai”

For Siddharth P Malhotra, 2024 was truly an eventful year. His controversial film Maharaj dropped on Netflix after a successful court battle. He ended the year on a good note with Doctors, his Jio Cinema web series that dropped in the last week of December. The show, produced by Siddharth, stars Sharad Kelkar, Harleen Sethi, Viraf Patel, Aamir Ali, Niharika Dutta and Vivaan Shah and is about the medical fraternity, as the title aptly suggests. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Siddharth spoke about Doctors, Maharaj and a lot more.

You have earlier made shows on TV like ‘Dill Mill Gaye’, ‘Sanjivani: A Medical Boon’ etc which were also about doctors. What is it about medical fraternity that interests you? Did you have a childhood dream of becoming a doctor? (Smiles) No. My maternal grandfather was a practising doctor until he was 96. I was very close to him and I used to keep going to his clinic regularly. Also, my mom is a doctor. That played a part. Moreover, I managed to deliver with those shows. Hence, the platforms come back to me asking for a medical show. On OTT, I got the freedom to create stuff that I was not allowed to do on TV. On TV, you cannot show blood or anybody dying. You have to show a love story and you can’t have multiple tracks. You can’t even touch sensitive real-life cases as it can invite legal action. With Doctors, I didn’t have these restrictions. Jo paanch shows ki bhadaas thi, woh sab iss show mein nikaal diya!

I’ve shown how doctors actually live. I got real doctors to teach actors on how to conduct surgeries. So, it’s a good credible effort, which the audience has appreciated without any shosha from our side.

There was minimal promotion by Jio Cinema. Were you apprehensive that Doctors might not get the required viewership? We were hopeful that there would be some kind of publicity. Also, I wasn’t apprehensive as there were shows like Tabbar and many other series that didn’t get any publicity. But audience acche show ko dhund hi leti hai. Regardless of the platform, they end up consuming it. I told everyone on the team that our product was worthy enough. I also knew that even 10 years later, people would appreciate it. No one would say ‘Yeh kya bana diya’. Nevertheless, we were hoping that a little more push should have been given to the show. However, it was a platform’s decision and me, the actors, the director, we are all reaching out and spreading the word. Today, despite limited publicity, Ormax has called it the number one show in India. We have not paid Ormax; I don’t even know if you can!

How did the real-life doctors react to the show? I can send you videos of feedback from doctors. Real doctors were involved in the panel of this show. They even trained the actors and were on sets. We did screenings for them in Gujarat and other places. We are now in talks with the Dean at KEM Hospital as we are now planning to organize a screening for all the medical students and fraternity there. In short, the medical fraternity is very proud of the show.

It’s heartening that they have liked it. 20 years ago, Munna Bhai MBBS (2003) was also about doctors but they were not happy with their portrayal… Munna Bhai was still a fictitious character and he came up with the idea of ‘jadoo ki jhappi’. In our show, doctors mar rahe hai and are trying to save lives. Here, ‘jadoo ki jhappi’ doesn’t work as doctors ki band baj rahi hai!

Since there are very few such shows, comparisons are bound to happen. But in the case of Doctors, no one has drawn parallels with Mumbai Diaries… The comparison hasn’t arisen as that show was about doctors around the time of a crisis.

But even there, doctors were dying as you just said. Was there a conscious attempt to have a different look and treatment for Doctors as by the time you started making the show, Mumbai Diaries was already out? Yes, its Season 1 was out and no, there was no conscious attempt. That show majorly was about how doctors and others function in a calamity. In Doctors, unki zindagi mein roz calamity aati hai! I haven’t made it from that point of view. In fact, I’ve made it in such a way that it can have at least five seasons (smiles).

What’s the status of Season 2? We have started working on its script. Jio is happy with the reception and very soon, we’ll talk about it.

You have been close to Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar and now even Aamir Khan, after you launched his son Junaid in Maharaj. Have they seen Doctors? I don’t know if they have seen it. But they all wished the show well. They have all seen the trailers and they liked it. They are my mentors and their blessings will always be there for someone whom they believe in. Before starting anything, I always take Karan or Adi’s blessings and now also Aamir sir’s blessings. Yeh woh log hai jo do cheez aapko acchi hi sikha ke jaayenge.

How was the year for you? Was it a roller-coaster ride, especially over Maharaj’s release? Surprisingly, both Maharaj and Doctors were hardly promoted before release and yet, became successful… Yes, it was. At one point, we were not sure if the film would ever even be released. Then, when it was about to release, I was like, ‘Publicity ke liye sirf ek hi poster hai. Iska trailer bhi nahin aaya’. Then, I was told ‘Teri film hit ho gayi hai’. I was like ‘Kaise hit ho gayi’. I was not ready to believe and Netflix had to convince me that Maharaj is indeed a bona fide success!

This was followed by Doctors. I even announced Kamal Aur Meena. A R Rahman saab is composing the music and Amrohis and Saregama are producing it. That’s a very big film in my life. Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi are legends. You cannot decide to tell their story until you are the chosen one. Hence, it’s a big responsibility.

A lot of people are waiting to know who’ll play the lead roles… We are going to make a big announcement in the next 2-3 months.

After the release of Hichki, you said that the possibilities of its sequel are endless. All these years, have you got a chance to think about Hichki 2? I haven’t. I know what can happen in Naina’s life but I need that solid conflict. In part 1, I had that conflict besides her Tourette Syndrome. For the sequel, it’s very clear in my head how she becomes a professor and ultimately a principal. But that landmark conflict has never crossed my mind. Also, I have moved on to Kamal Aur Meena.

Will you ever think of making Maharaj 2 or would you like to move on from it considering the controversies faced by part 1? (Laughs) Not at all. Karsandas ki life ke baare mein main kuch aur nahin kar raha hoon! Bahut band baji hai; aur band nahin bajani hai!

Maharaj is based on a book and I recently realized that you only took a part of it for the film. It has a very detailed narrative… In fact, if I adapt the whole book, it can make for a two-season web series. Also, its high time that people make films from books. We don’t need to remake films. Hichki was based on the book, Front Of The Class by Brad Cohen. So is Maharaj. India has such beautiful real-life stories ki aapko kahin aur dekhne ki zaroorat nahi. No one reads books. Wahan se kahaniyaan nikaalne

Also Read: “I wish for a more inclusive society,” says Hichki director Siddharth P. Malhotra, who wants to make the world a happier place with his brand of cinema

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