Writer-filmmaker J S Nandhini, who has earned praise for her new series 'Inspector Rishi', says the idea was to tell a supernatural horror thriller that is relatable to people and is rooted in the culture of the place it is set in.
The 10-episode Prime Video series, starring Naveen Chandra, Sunainaa, Kanna Ravi and Sri Krishna Dayal, revolves around inspector Rishi Nandhan (Chandra) who is investigating a series of bizarre murders taking place in a small mountain village near Coimbatore.
"When I started researching about who the spirit could be, I wanted the story to be rooted in our culture. I wanted it to be something that people from the villages and from our local towns are familiar with, to go into those deeper spiritual beliefs and those superstitions of the villages," Nandhini told PTI in an interview.
Chandra, who essayed the role of inspector Rishi, said he grew up listening to such stories from his grandmother.
"I belong to a place called Ballari (Karnataka), which is close to Humpi. So I heard all these stories that if you go out by evening, 7pm, there's a demon waiting for you. That will hurt you or kill you or do something. I don't believe in supernatural powers but I grew up on these stories," he said.
Actor Ravi, who plays a sub-inspector in the series and helps Rishi in his investigation, said he found the script very appealing and could even visualise the scenes as he read it.
"The writing was so gripping and I could visualise what all she wrote. I thought it would be a nice series if I become a part of this and I would love to perform in this and to see these visuals.
"I felt like I haven't done anything like this before, so I will do horror. Apart from the horror, I liked the way she covered all the things together."
Sunainaa, another cast member, said she generally doesn't like going through the scripts but the narration of 'Inspector Rishi' made her curious to read everything, including for her part of a female guard.
"It was a collection of suspense, horror and thrill," she added.
Dayal, who plays forest officer Sathya in the series, said Nandini's script was very visual in nature.
"When we read the text, the images start reflecting, those images are the captivating portion. When you actually see the series, it's so beautiful because all those takes have come out. The characters have just jumped out of that screen and they just coloured the entire space. It's so beautiful to see that."
