ZEE5’s State of Siege: 26/11 recreates the tension and terror of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The show, streaming since March 20, follows a team of National Security Guard (NSG) commandos as they are flown in to neutralize the attacks. The eight-episode series was created by Abhimanyu Singh and helmed by American director Matthew Leutwyler.
The series is based on journalist Sandeep Unnithan’s book. What kind of research went into it?
I did extensive research and was also guided by Col Sundeep Sen throughout much of the production. A partnership that I can honestly say will have a profound effect on my life going forward. Production was very smart in having him brought on board as our technical advisor.
What is the biggest challenge of shooting realistic military action?
Safety. And overall coordination. The designing of the sequences is the fun part. The easy part. But then managing the stunts, squibs, pyrotechnics, actors and the DOPs team in order to coordinate and capture the detail that really tells the story, well that’s the trick isn’t it?
Your favourite Indian films of all time. I am very familiar and a fan of Mira Nair’s work.
But purely Indian production is probably Dangal, which I thought was very well done and beautifully shot.