Love, ambition, and small-town attraction kind the core of Agra Affair, a collection poised to captivate audiences of all ages. Author Sankalp Raj Tripathi weaves his private roots with a profound understanding of human feelings, leading to a compelling narrative. In an unique interview with Pinkvilla, he shares insights into his inventive course of, his affection for small-town tales, and the distinctive attraction of the present. He additionally acknowledges the evolving problem of writing romance at this time, noting the way it differs from the easier portrayals seen within the ’90s.
1. From what the trailer appears like, Agra Affair is a story of confused romance. Does this have some connection to your private life?
It should be! I imagine that each time a author or creator pens a narrative, there’s all the time some a part of themselves in it. Speaking about Agra Affair, this present connects with everybody at some degree as a result of it revolves round love, household, aspirations, ambitions, and hustle. However the “confused romantic story” angle is just not one thing that displays my private life. In my life, I’ve all the time had absolute readability about two issues: my profession and my love. I married my spouse after realizing her for 15 years, so if I declare that the “confused romance” facet is private, my spouse will certainly scold me for contradicting all of the tales I’ve informed her about my consistency through the years (laughs).
2. After Crushed, you’re exploring the romance style once more. Would you name this style your secure house?
Not a secure house, however undoubtedly my favourite house. I started my profession writing for Crime Patrol. Even there, my effort was to convey out the feelings of the characters amidst the crime and police investigation. I imagine that audiences keep in mind tales largely due to the characters and their feelings, and tales with out human feelings are incomplete.
Whereas I work throughout genres—be it crime, thriller, or horror—on the core of all, my tales are drama and love. Emotional depth is what resonates with audiences. This was the try with Crushed, and it’s the identical with Agra Affair. In fact, alongside feelings, parts like aspirations and conflicts make a narrative healthful, and the central plot must be sturdy for the characters’ journeys to shine.
3. Your final story, Bravehearts, was fairly totally different from Crushed and Agra Affair. Was this shift in style a aware choice or was there a catalyst?
After Bravehearts, we labored on a number of seasons of Crushed, which turned one of many highest-viewed reveals on Amazon MX Participant. Bravehearts was my ode to our nation and its troopers. If it weren’t for our troopers, we wouldn’t have the liberty to inform tales at this time.
For me, love is the strongest emotion, and this is the reason—whether or not it’s Bravehearts, Agra Affair, or Crushed—the underlying message in my tales is all the time about love. Particularly at this time, when the world is stuffed with stress, turmoil, and wars, love is crucial emotion to unfold and maintain on to.
Truthfully, I solely inform tales with stimulating ideas. However the motive I can inform these tales is the immense help I get from Pocket Aces Photos’ CEO, Aditi Srivastava, and my senior colleagues like Janaki Amrite, Sanket Kunde, Prashant Oberoi and Kartik Krishnan at Cube Media. I’m extremely grateful to them. Aditi was the primary to belief my tales and gave me full inventive freedom to put in writing and create. That’s why I can write one thing like Bravehearts on one hand after which get equally excited to work on Crushed or Agra Affair on the opposite.
4. What do you assume is the USP of Agra Affair?
Agra Affair is a narrative that flows peacefully, similar to town it’s set in. It has love, household, feelings, aspirations, motion, betrayal, and life classes—all wrapped in a serene narrative. In cities like Agra, conflicts and classes carry a novel calmness. It’s not that these cities don’t face the challenges we see in metros, however they deal with them at their very own tempo, giving folks the time to mirror and be taught.
The present’s USP lies in its simplicity and rootedness. The characters are as distinctive as town of Agra—town of affection. It’s the form of story that a complete household, from ages 8 to 80, can sit collectively and watch whereas having dinner or tea. And afterwards, as an alternative of feeling drained, they may brew one other cup of tea, smile, and focus on the story.
5. Is writing romance at this time totally different from writing it within the ’90s and 2000s?
Evolving with time is human nature. If somebody doesn’t evolve, they’ll all the time really feel incomplete. Writing romance at this time is as difficult as it’s crucial and rewarding. In at this time’s world, the place folks typically reside removed from their houses and are busy chasing careers and cash, the most important void of their lives is love. Only a few form phrases can mild up somebody’s face with happiness.
This technology may be very considerate and delicate. They’re expressive, and due to that, love tales can not be simplistic or watered down. They have to be layered, reflecting the generational and international evolution because the ’90s. We are able to’t underestimate the emotional intelligence of at this time’s audiences, and that’s why writing romance now requires a extra nuanced strategy.
6. Why do you favor writing small-town tales?
As a result of that’s the place tales come from. As I discussed earlier, small cities nonetheless have a way of calm, a slower tempo of life, and the time to pause and mirror. It’s not that I solely need to inform small-town tales, however since I come from Lucknow, my recollections and connections naturally stem from there.
Another excuse is {that a} vital a part of at this time’s viewers nonetheless resides in small cities. Even our price methods and tradition are deeply rooted there. Moreover, massive cities at the moment are crammed with migrants who’ve come from small cities chasing their desires. So, whether or not the viewers is from small cities or massive cities, good content material resonates with everybody.
7. If given the prospect to put in writing a venture that includes the three Khans, what style would you select?
If “blockbuster” could possibly be a style, that’s what I might create. It’s a dream that each creator on this nation will need to have. However with this dream additionally comes nice duty. The three Khans have given a lot to this trade and audiences—they’re so deeply linked to our lives. If the day ever comes (and I hope it does), it is going to undoubtedly be the happiest and most difficult day of my profession.
Whereas it’s tough to pinpoint the style proper now, I can confidently say that my duty in direction of my viewers and honesty in storytelling will stay my high precedence, simply as it’s at this time.
Agra Affair, directed by Mandar Kurundar and starring Aakash Dahiya and Harshita Gaur, follows Akash as he struggles to save lots of his household’s lodge whereas pursuing his dream of opening a restaurant. Teaming up with Tanvi, a spirited tour information, their bond grows sophisticated when Megha enters the image, sparking a love triangle. Written by Sankalp Raj Tripathi, Tatsat Pandey and Abhinav Vaidya, it encompasses a gifted ensemble solid. The collection blends love, ambition, and emotional battle, providing a fascinating narrative.
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