NEW DELHI: "Paatal Lok" had just released and its creator Sudip Sharma was feeling quite done with police dramas when he was offered the script of "Kohrra", giving him another opportunity to explore the world of those at the "cusp of crime and civilisation".
The six-episode Netflix series, set to arrive on the streamer on July 15, follows the death of an NRI and explores its impact on those investigating the crime and families affected by it.
Sharma realised the story was too good to let go and that his fascination with cops was not over.
"They are at the cusp of crime and civilisation and kind of keeping the society sane while also dealing with very violent and very brutal things day in and day out. And it always makes for interesting, fascinating reading," Sharma told PTI.
"I don't think a regular human being is meant to be exposed to so much violence. If I had to deal with rapes, murders and kidnappings every day, I don't know how it's going to affect my psyche," he added.
Sharma, whose writing credits include "Udta Punjab", "NH10" and "Sonchiriya", received a lot of attention for the 2020 show "Paatal Lok", about a disenchanted cop investigating a crime in Delhi.
"Even when we were making "Paatal Lok", I always thought we were making a very niche show. I had no idea that it would be lapped up by the audiences in such a mainstream manner. In fact, it scares me a little because I personally don't think my work is that mainstream."
Discussing his latest venture, a layered whodunit set in Punjab, Sharma said he was drawn to the story as it allowed him to explore human relationships through the lens of an investigative drama.
Sharma is showrunner for "Kohrra" and was involved in all aspects of the show, from writing to casting.
"For me, the show really isn't about who killed whom. There is a crime that took place, what were the repercussions of it on these various lives? How did this crime touch these lives? The lives of investigators, the lives of the victim's family, the lives of various suspects and how so many relationships got upended or fell apart," he said.
He is now working on the second season of "Paatal Lok".
"But after that, I'll be done with cop stories for a while now."
The cast of "Kohrra", produced by Clean Slate Filmz, is led by "Meel Patthar" star Suvinder Vicky in a phenomenal central performance as the officer in-charge of the investigation, Barun Sobti as his partner.
Varun Badola, Harleen Sethi, Rachel Shelly of "Lagaan" fame and Manish Chaudhary round off the cast.
Sharma said he also likes looking at policemen through the lens of an ordinary family man and a member of society, and the story by Gunjit Chopra and Diggi Sisodia explores that in detail.
As showrunner and co-creator, Sharma wanted a director who matched his sensibilities on "the slow-burn" series and he thought of Randeep Jha, whose underrated movie "Halahal" caught his eyes in 2020.
Jha was working on "Trial By Fire", a Netflix series on the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy, when Sharma reached out to him.
"I read the script of "Kohrra" and I really liked the world it is set in. Through a murder mystery, we explore relationships and the politics of love and relationships. I realised that the show has a lot of scope to experiment with my craft without going into the cliches," Jha told PTI.
Likening creative collaboration to dating, Sharma said Jha's is a "new and interesting voice" with great sensibilities and both have similar world views about "how we look at not just films, but also how we look at life, how we look at the society, how we look at politics".
"Kohrra" also offered Sharma, who had visited Punjab while writing the 2016 film "Udta Punjab", a deep dive into the complexities of the state which has an interesting NRI culture.
His version is starkly different from the oversimplified portrayals of Punjab and its culture in mainstream cinema.
"There's no 'balle, balle' happening there all the time. It's a much more complex place with a very unique culture within North India. And there was a chance to explore these various identities that Punjab has, the NRI side of Punjab, which has its own subculture, the industrial side, the transport side, the farming side and the technical and cultural side.
"Through long-form storytelling, I was able to explore all these various sides of Punjab without being restricted to one particular milieu. There was a lot of joy in understanding this place for myself," the writer-filmmaker said.
Sharma is also of the opinion that there is room for "more than one kind of storytelling".
"I hope we have been able to create enough of a story engine inside this idea of a slow burn that draws people back to it. I would like to stay away from that expectation or that tag that 'oh, okay, it should be reached by as much of an audience as 'Paatal Lok' reached'," he said.
Both Jha and Sharma have had their share of intense stories for now.
What's next? Sharma said, "I want to do comedy. A love story for me," added Jha.