Actor Aftab Shivdasani looks back at being a part of the gritty drama Setters that released in 2019.
One of your neglected films is six now?
Setters was indeed a very interesting and a special film. I remember getting a call from Jogiji, who was the casting director. He called me one day and he said that, if you’re free, Ashwini Choudharyji would like to meet you. So I went across to the office, and I met Ashwini ji along with the producer. And he narrated the idea of Setters to me, which was, he said, a two-hero film. One is a cop, and the other is a setter, an examination setter. And it’s basically a cat-and-mouse game between the both of them. Because this deals with the education mafia in the country.
You were hooked?
This is a topic that’s not really being discussed or, spoken about, or really portrayed on screen before. And they wanted to make a very gritty, a very realistic film. Portraying the characters very realistically. And I was very taken in by that. Because I had never done something on a social cause. Or something on a hard-hitting subject like exam fixing.
So you said yes?
I was game. And I said yes. The director did mention that Shreyas Talpade would be playing the other part. And I said that’s great because I have a lot of respect and love for Shreyas. And then we started work on it. It was very interesting. It was shot in Delhi and Banaras. And that was the first time I was getting to shoot in Banaras. Which made the experience even more special.
Varanasi won you over?
Needless to say, Banaras is an incredible and mystical city. And shooting there and on the Ghats was indeed a very special experience. We had, in fact, filmed an action chase where I was chasing Shreyas in the Ghats. And yeah, it was shot with a hidden camera. And people were stunned to see us. By the time they saw us, we had already disappeared from there because it was basically like guerrilla shooting.
Closing thoughts?
I mean Setters was a very interesting film. A film that had a lot of truth to it. And I felt that it was appreciated at the time. But unfortunately, I guess the box office numbers didn’t match up to people’s expectations. But it is a film that is made very well. It had one very lovely song. Which I think was sung by Sukhwinder Paji. It is a film that I think can be watched during any era and appreciated. Very interesting subject.
Also, the subject of proxy examinees is still very relevant?
Looking back at the experience, I really feel that there was this genuine attempt to expose a certain education mafia that is prevalent even today. I mean, we get to see all these exams and papers being rigged. So, something that I felt was the need of the hour at that time, and I think it would be appreciated even at this time.
