With an alluring line-up and an illustrious assembling of some of the finest names that propel the entertainment industry as its whole – India Web Fest Season 6 made its roaring return and managed to touch upon several topics of importance in the web world.

The occasion was even more special as IWMBuzz managed to also become the platform for the trailer launch of Zee5’s upcoming film, Berlin which stars Aparshakti Khurrana, Ishwak Singh, Rahul Bose and Anupria Goenka in lead roles. This called for an interesting and lovely panel discussion with Khurrana, Bose, Zee5 India CBO – Mr. Manish Kalra, which was moderated by Radio Host & RadioOne Network National Brand Head, Hrishikesh Kannan.

Here are some excerpts from the conversation-

Hrishikesh: I would like to start with director Atul Sabharwal and ask him – what got you interested in this dimension? On the one side, West and East Germany: the war going down: the other end of the spectrum – the USSR breaking into fragments: Russia emerging as the largest amongst all the nations and India in the midst of all of this. Was it a childhood fetish?

Atul: Yes. Most of it is from the childhood. I belong to the generation where Russia was more in the conversation in the household as opposed to the way it is now – for the wrong reasons. But when I was growing up, there was an article written by Pankaj Mishra in The Guardian, ‘When East Was Red’ – where he talks about his growing up years. Also, I am from Agra and the show industry was big then having a lot of trade going with Russia (back then the Soviet Union) where shoes were being exported to them in exchange of MIG Fighter Planes as a barter trade. So I guess, somewhere in the subconscious, it had seeded in as to this imagery and this story. You grow up and read more and everything else starts joining course to your belief.

Hrishikesh: Equally true for actors, Rahul. What you have grown up reading or liking as a child might influence your decision right now. Of course, the script is the ultimate compass but I am curious to know because the world of espionage is fascinating. Berlin shows a share of that. We know the fringes of it how intelligence bureaus work and how information is exchanged. So, was that something you ever got into?

Rahul: I got into it as much as any girl or boy would when they were younger. But what’s fascinating about Berlin – is that in usually in a spy story, the question is about the good v/s the bad – it is a question as to will the villain destroy the world or the spy win over him. But what is amazing about Berlin and a few others out there is that – the heroes and the villains are both on one side; there is no other side. Here you are looking at everyone who is supposed to be on the same side. On that same side, you begin to realise in this one side – there is good, bad and ugly. The interiority of this world is very reminiscent of the John Licare, Spies Walking on the Coal world. I love scripts that give you space and silence. I am not a fan of talky-talky movies because then you can make a TV series if that is what you want to make. Here, it is cinematic. Hence here, when you are surrounded by a director who is skilled and has a unified vision, it is great. Then you have actors like Aparshakti Khurrana and Ishwak Singh, to my utter jealousy are talented, good-looking and young – it is wonderful to work with. Thrillers are made on the edit table and I guess how Berlin is made on the edit table, and done so well.

Hrishikesh: Apar, it is not a spoiler because it is very much said in the trailer as Pushkin is somebody who is being approached to do sign language to talk with the prisoner. It couldn’t have been easy to do. How was the process?

Aparshakti: First of all, I have to say the process was difficult. I have a knack for picking languages because I travelled across the country during my sports career and my college days as well. From Vizag to a small place in Madhya Pradesh called Tatya, I have travelled all across to catch hold of those dialects. This was the first time where I wasn’t supposed to talk but pick up on sign language. It became all the more difficult because I was supposed to talk and use sign language in a few instances. So yes, it was difficult, but the peripheral world that was created by Atul and Zee Studios was fantastic – the workshops were great. At any given time on the shoot, two sign language experts were there keeping an eye on the monitor, on the close-up shots; so all in all it became easy because of their presence as well.

Hrishikesh: Now, I call upon Manish Kalra. I now run a network of radio stations. Your vision and strategic focus are all that matters at the end of the day. The last few times I have met Manish, he has always been so focused on Zee5 being a streaming service for India, of India. He is completely devoted to India. So, why Berlin?

Manish: We were looking at unique concepts – things that Indian viewers have not seen. Things where we can surprise them – great storytelling. I think Atul and his team have done a great job in building this world by putting together the entire starcast, and the character evolution too. At the same time, the plot is so intriguing that people are bound to love it. From our perspective, it is a consumer first – what are they looking for? And how can I give them much more than they are imagining? Ultimately, when you see in our industry, when crime thrillers are doing well, you will see a barrage of crime thrillers. As we know, horror comedies are doing well, so we will see a barrage of that as well. Someone needs to break that clutter and I guess Berlin is that. It is a solid piece that gives good content and gives it centre stage by putting great actors and directors together – so yes, the idea and why Berlin was very simple for us.

Watch the full conversation below-