HYDERABAD: With the makers of the blockbuster Spanish crime drama series, Money Heist, ready to release part two of the fifth season, there seems to be a buzz of a different kind around the series in Hyderabad.
A mural of fictional character Sergio Marquina (The Professor), portrayed by Álvaro Morte, from the series, has become a head-turner near the Necklace Road MMTS station. The artist behind this, Ranjit Dahiya, is now painting another mural near the Ameerpet Metro station.
This one will portray a scene of robbers dressed in popular red jackets, jumping in joy after a heist in a dark room. The artwork, on a 50x35 feet wall, is in its initial stages and is being painted pitch black with a few red outlines. It is already grabbing eyeballs.
“Many have been asking me if it is a scene from Money Heist, I simply respond by saying: You’ll know soon,” says Ranjit, the owner of the Bollywood Art Project (BAP) from Mumbai. He is known for his murals of Bollywood actors and film posters across the world under his initiative BAP — an urban street art project to celebrate Bollywood through larger-than-life murals.
The renowned artist, who is in Hyderabad for the first time, shares, “I have painted all over the world in the last 28 years. Some projects were solely out of interest and a few others were commissioned. I’ve always wanted to visit Hyderabad and I’m pumped about executing the project here.”
OTT platform Netflix, on which Money Heist is streaming, is promoting the fifth season of the hit series in major cities of Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. “I have worked on two murals each in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Somehow, we could not find the right kind of walls in Bengaluru for these murals.”
Technically, these murals are not an advertisement. There is no sign of Netflix or the Money Heist logo, for the crime drama speaks for itself in Hyderabad. The face mask and the red jackets are symbolic and one can instantaneously connect with these, he says.
About his street art initiative, BAP, and the love it has received from Hyderabadis, he says, “I was just a film enthusiast when I started out. I never imagined I would be doing this on such a large scale. It has been just three days since I landed in Hyderabad and I have already received a couple of commissions,” the artist shares. Ranjit’s most recent work, ‘History of Bollywood’, a collection of paintings of Indian film posters, was exhibited at La Rochelle in France.