Hindi cinema has often generated two sides of the cops – the larger-than-life character bearing cops like Chulbul Pandey from Dabangg series and Bajirao Singham or the realistically available forms of cops exemplified by cops like Anant Velankar from Ardha Satya (1983) and Amit Kumar from Gangaajal (2003). Bu, here comes the other side of the Mumbai cops which has yet remained untampered with the upcoming Marathi web-series, titled, Pandu. The show is expected to deliver an immensely different side of the Mumbai cops.
talking about this entry in the web series world, Sarang Sathaye, one of the directors of the series, mentioned a bit about the series along with the launch of the trailer for the same, saying, “We either see them solving some crime or getting involved in corruption. We have limited them to this in cinema. But the real policeman is very human like us. He wants to bring up his kid and go to his parents-teachers’ meeting. Likewise, there are human sides which we have tried exploring here.”
Pandu will be starring popular cast that includes- Suhas Sirsat and veteran actor Deepak Shirke in lead roles along with Abish Mathew, Trupti Khamkar and Prasad Reddy. It is set to start streaming on MX Player from 20 September. The show has been co-directed by Anusha Nandakumar.
The word ‘pandu’ is generally used for making a dig at cops in Maharashtra but, that will definitely not be the case with this series.
Adding on this account Sathaye said, “Like ‘ghaati,’ we use the word ‘Pandu’ in some other way. But actually, it is the identity [of cops]. They stand like [lord] Pandurang behind us. It is based on such officers.”
Sathaye is well known for being the runner of the popular Marathi digital channel Bharatiya Digital Party or BhaDiPa. As an actor, he has also played the role of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray in Mahesh Manjrekar’s Bhaai: Vyakti Kee Valli (2019), the biopic on P L Deshpande.
He also added his apprehension towards approaching Shirke, mentioning, “I had called him fearfully and asked he if would like to work [with us]. At that time, I didn’t know if this would happen but [Shirke] is here and that was great.”
