director Ruch Allen Talking about the experience of making “Musafir Cafe”, the star Vikrant Messi, Mahima Makwana and Vedika Pinto. The show has received an encouraging response from audiences, the filmmakers said in a statement. Ruchir, who has previously directed projects like “Little Things”, “Ghar Waapsi” and “Loot Kaand”, said “Musafir Cafe” required careful planning and teamwork throughout the production process.Speaking exclusively to ETimes, the director said: “One of the biggest challenges in long-form storytelling is that you need to shoot more material than you would in a feature film, while still maintaining the cinematic quality that audiences have come to expect from streaming shows. For me, the crew and the cast, this was the biggest challenge we faced at Musafir Cafe. Every day, we work hard to balance speed with craftsmanship, ensuring that despite the accelerated pace of production, we never compromise on the emotional or visual quality of the show. What makes this possible is the team’s collective belief in the material. Our director of photography Anirrudh Patankar, our production designer Naveen Lohara, our costume designer Roshni Bose and their amazing teams all care deeply about these characters and this story. They pushed themselves every day on set, and I think that investment was visible in every frame. “
Director Ruchi Arun praises Vikrant Massey’s performance
Talking about Vikrant Massey, Ruchil said the actor’s natural acting style made him an ideal choice for the role of Chandler. He added that Vikrant’s honesty as a performer helped create believable emotions throughout the series.The director also highlighted how the actor encouraged his co-star during filming, which enhanced the chemistry between the characters.He said, “Vikrant brings authenticity to his character and that’s exactly what Chander needs. Chandler is an ordinary guy living with extraordinary emotions, and Vikrant possesses that rare, ordinary quality that makes him immediately relatable. There’s nothing artificial about his performance. Every day on the sets, he uses his life experiences and emotional honesty to bring Chand to life. Apart from that, Vikrant is a very generous actor.” He constantly supports and promotes his co-stars, and this generosity creates real chemistry on screen. When actors trust each other, the audience will believe in the relationship. I think that’s one of the reasons why the emotional world of Musafir Cafe feels so real. “
Ruchir Arun on turning best-selling novels into reality
Cafe Musafir is adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Divya Prakash Dubey. Ruchil revealed that the script had been written by showrunner and writer Sharanya Rajgopal before he joined the project. He explained that his main responsibility was to preserve the emotional depth of the characters while ensuring that the world on screen felt believable.Sharing his approach, Ruchil said, “To be honest, when I came on board, the first draft of the script had already been written by our showrunner and writer Sharanya Rajgopal. So the job of adapting the novels was largely hers. But the scripts came out of the wonderful characters that writer Divya Prakash Dubey has created, and the world that Sharanya built around them felt rich and lived in.” As a director, my focus then was to protect the soul of these characters and the authenticity of the world. As well as recreating the novel, I wanted the audience to believe that these people were real and to see themselves in Chandler, Sudha and Preeti. “Apart from Musafir Cafe, Ruchir is currently directing Nazdeekiyan, an upcoming web series on OTT. Although he chose not to reveal too much about the story, he confirmed that it revolves around two couples and explores mature relationships.The filmmaker also said that this project is special as it marks his first collaboration with Dharma Productions.He shared, “It’s too early to talk about the details of the project, but I can say that Nazdeekiyan is a mature love story centered on two couples and it will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video. This is a very special project for me as it is my first time working with Dharma Productions and what better place to tell a love story than Dharma? Most importantly, I am excited to bring another heartfelt love story to the audience.” If Musafir Cafe explores how love evolves over time, Nazdeekiyan will explore relationships through a very different lens, and I can’t wait for people to experience it. “As “Musafir Cafe” continues to receive positive feedback, Ruchir is already focused on his next project. As the audience’s connection with Musafir Cafe continues to deepen, the director hopes that “Nazdeekiyan” will provide another heartfelt experience.