Asim Abbasi on Churails: Knew I was making something special

A still from Churails

When Asim Abbasi's Churails released in India, under Zee5's Zindagi wing, it opened to the great love and critical acclaim. The story about intersectional feminism touched a chord due to its universal appeal. The Pakistani show also marked the reopening of cultural exchanges four years after Zindagi shut operations in India. Nominated in the Best Series category at the Mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT awards, Abbasi discusses the challenges of making the series. "You can know you are making something special but you will never know for sure how the audience will react," he starts off.

The show does take on a few rather risque subjects. "I was worried about backlash and I wasn't sure how the critics would respond to our funky storytelling. Structurally, the show doesn't stick to a genre and moves from procedural chick flick to a psychological thriller. Shailja (Kejriwal, producer) gave me a free hand. I wanted to make a story about female rage in different socio-economic brackets and gender preferences. Women are often pushed to corners and limits and them pushing back is powerful. These were women who were flawed and I gave them grey shades of every tint. The long format storytelling allows you scope for experimentation. Moreover, the show marks the win of humanity fostering cultural exchange between our countries. There are social similarities and same struggles for women in South Asia. Churails could be set in Mumbai and the story remains universal."

Asim Abbasi

Lauding his producers for not being risk averse and encouraging diversity of ideas, he says, "Allowing creators to be able to maintain their voice is important. My concerns were there only when I was submitting my scripts. They emboldened me to follow my vision. The show openly talks about homosexuality. I had assumed the liquor (Jugnu's character played by Yasra Rizvi is a heavy drinker ) wouldn't go down well. I didn't self censor at all. The show wasn't made simply for Pakistan; the world saw it and that's all that matters."

A major talking point for the show was how a male writer-director was able to bring in women's authentic experience to the series, giving it a feminist gaze, much like Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors (Disney+Hotstar). "It's not a lived-in experience; it's one degree removed. So I can tell everyone about my strong mother and sisters, in a household full of women. I have observed women but it's not my own experience. This was my biggest fear over log kya kahenge. I wanted to do justice to a predominantly female story and I am conflicted about how I fared. To compensate consciously, I had female ADs, female producers, female script consultants on every episode. I was hand held a lot and I opened my story and myself up to feedback. We had the male characters servicing the women's stories. The alpha trope and angry young man has been exhausted. A constant effort showing men differently will highlight to parents that being a man, or being a hero is not about being rude, arrogant, sexist. I want to break away from that image and show men as kind, good guys which they mostly are."

For season 2, that he hopes will be made, he wants to have a writers room filled with women. "I was hired on the basis of Cake to make Churails. I think season 2 will happen. Personally I have told everything I wanted and the cliffhanger was for the audience to deduce what happens there on. The show was received well so maybe there's more."

Did you know?

Asim Abbasi wanted to end season one of the series on a cliffhanger to provide scope for the making of another season.

Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards
Asim Abbasi's Churails has been nominated in the Best Drama category. The other nominees
are:

. Criminal Justice Behind Closed Doors (Disney+Hotstar)
. Scam 1992 (SonyLiv)
. The Gone Game
(Voot Select)
. The Forgotten Army (Amazon Prime Video)
. Your Honour (SonyLiv)

Log on to www.hitlistottawards.com to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on February 9.