Ananya Pandey natural fit for ‘Call Me Bae': director Collin D'Cunha

MUMBAI: Ananya Pandey has grown from strength to strength with every film and is finally ready to lead a show like "Call Me Bae", says director Collin D'Cunha.

In the Prime Video series, which will debut on September 6, Pandey plays the titular role of Bae aka Bella Chowdhary, who goes on a riches to rags journey.

“It was the collective idea of the producers,In the Prime Video series, which will debut on September 6, Pandey plays the titular role of Bae aka Bella Chowdhary, who goes on a riches to rags journey.me, and the platform (to cast Ananya). Ananya is a natural fit for the character, she is one of the few names that we thought of and we got excited with the idea of Ananya playing Bae.

"We knew she would pull off this character. Ananya has grown from strength to strength in her performance, and she is doing such wonderful roles with such big directors. This felt like it was time for Ananya to front a show by herself. She felt ready,” Collin, who is making his directorial debut with “Call Me Bae”, told PTI in an interview.

He said the comedy-drama show addresses important themes such as privilege, empowerment, and the impact of social media.

"At the heart of it, it is the journey of one girl, coming-of-age of one character, who comes from privilege. A lot of humour is derived from making a commentary on her privilege. But the people she meets, the relationships she forms, her hustle for understanding and the change she can bring by just holding onto her individuality is also an important part of the show,” the director said.

Collin credited writers Ishita Moitra, Samina Motlekar, and Rohit Nair for creating a unique and authentic "desi" world within the Indian context.

“I started two years ago and the script was ready, so I had great material to work with. It was created so well by Ishita, Samina (Motlekar) and Rohit (Nair), I didn’t have to look at references from Hollywood.

"We’ve watched all of it and subconsciously it's all there with us. But we worked very hard on creating a new and unique world for ‘Call Me Bae’, that very much exists where we are in India. So, it’s not Western, it’s a very desi world that exists here.”

For D'Cunha, directing "Call Me Bae" is like a significant milestone in his career, bringing him immense joy and fulfilment after a decade of working as an assistant director on films such as PK”, “Talaash: The Answer Lies Within”, and “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”.

“When I heard the script, it spoke to me. I went with a completely open mind as a filmmaker. I’m excited by various genres and I want to tell different stories in the future. I thought the script was funny and it says something at the end of it. I was sure that something like this would be perfect to start my journey with it. Also, it has Mumbai at the core of it, and I’m a Bombay boy so I wanted that as well,” Collin, who was set to make his debut as a director with “Dostana 2”, said.

“Call Me Bae” features an ensemble cast including Vir Das, Gurfateh Pirzada, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat. Additionally, it features Muskkaan Jaferi, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Lisa Mishra, and Mini Mathur.

The show is executive-produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra.