Siddharth P Malhotra talks about his new show Pashminna, a love story set in Kashmir.
Over two and a half decades, Siddharth P Malhotra has had a prolific career in TV and films, where he has delivered some of the most memorable TV shows and slice-of-life films. Now, the writer, director, and producer is returning to the small screen with his latest offering – Pashminna Dhaage Mohabbat Ke. As the show begins its run, Malhotra talks to DNA about his ‘comeback’ and the idea of making a ‘simple love story’ in today’s times.
Pashminna is Malhotra’s first TV show since the reboot of Sanjivani. He explains the absence, saying, “I started with television so you don’t forget your roots and what made you who you are. So, I never left television. I just took a break for three years after Sanjeevani because my grouse was that we are made to work on six-month broad story with characters, story but after the first week TRP comes, all that pre-production work goes out of the window. Then you start questioning the intention.”
Pashminna, which stars Nishant Singh Malkani and Isha Sharma, is a love story set in Kashmir, and almost exclusively shot in the Valley too. Talking about the decision to make a love story for a medium almost entirely populated by family dramas, Malhotra says, “Today, people are not doing love stories. I am actually pretty scared to do it now. The thought was to do a Yash Chopra kind of romance – the classic Kabhi Kabhie, Chandni, Silsila type of story. Bhavna (the writer) came up with the story and we decided to make it into a limited series.”
But Malhotra does not see this as a brave move. He admits that it is refreshing though. He says the choice to set it in Kashmir was because he wanted to show the other side of the Valley. “Where on OTT do you see love stories? There are murder mysteries, thrillers, even dramas. But I wanted to do a show in Kashmir that didn’t have the military, terrorism, communal strife. Kashmir is known for its beauty and purity so we wanted a show that symbolised that. I hope that going back to that is a clutter breaking. That is why I say I am scared. Because such shows aren’t there on TV or OTT today,” he says.
Pashminna, which also stars Hiten ejwani, Gauri Pradhan, Rakesh Paul, Krisann Barretto, and Angad Hasija, began airing on Sony SAB from October 25. The limited series is intended to have a six-month run.
