Known for his nuanced and well crafted character, filmmaker Neeraj Pandey has defined the espionage and thriller genre in Bollywood. Starting with “A Wednesday” to Aiyaary, the filmmaker has created a niche for his characters and films.
Neeraj Pandey teamed up with Akshay Kumar for Special 26, which turned into a massive cult movie. The filmmaker even helmed a spin-off titled Baby, which also rocked the box-office.
During a telephonic interview with Bollywoodhelpline, we asked Neeraj Pandey if there a possibility that he might collaborate with Akshay Kumar for a sequel or series.
He said, “It all depends on what kind of material we are working on. The point is if we have to come back with anyone like Manoj Bajpai, Anupam Kher or Akshay Kumar with whom we have worked before, we will have to come back with stronger material. When we are all satisfied that this is the right type of material then why not? That day I was talking with Jimmy Shergill. It’s been ages since we have worked together. But we will wait for the right type of material. It’s not just for the sake of doing we will do something. We will have to justify it with the right material”
Neeraj Pandey recently ventured into digital world with a web-series titled Special Ops starring Kay Kay Menon in the lead role. The series became instant hit with fans.
Talking about the response of the series, Neeraj said, “I am overwhelmed. This is the first time I have done a web show. There was lot of anticipation regarding the show. I realised this when we launched the trailer of the show, there was so much anticipation for the show and the fact that we are coming out with something. What we have done and not done only audience is our parameter. We are making the show it is only for the audience. We were overwhelmed with the amount of reception it got. The amount of warm feedback we got for the show was overwhelming.
India is currently in lockdown, so we asked Neeraj about his routine and life during social distancing?
He said, “How everyone is spending. Trying to keep our lives occupied, spending time with family, doing bit of work from home which is very much possible in today’s world, over phone and internet. I am reading, writing and watching stuff. Catching up with friends and trading notes”
Neeraj Pandey is a director and producer, along with being an exemplary writer and editor. So we asked him if he would ever consider making an on-screen debut or is he camera phobic?
Neeraj said, “Phobia is the wrong word. It’s just that my right place in this profession is behind the camera. I do come in front of the camera, whenever there are promotions. But then after a while answering same thing in back to back interviews becomes tiring. You are repeating the same thing back to back. It is not fair to you and to other people whom you are talking to”
Last, Neeraj produced “Missing” in 2018, a psychological thriller film written and directed by Mukul Abhyankar, starring Tabu, Manoj Bajpayee and Annu Kapoor in the lead roles.
