Mantra Mugdh is a name associated with some of the most unique and captivating podcasts from the country. Heading his own, audio production house MnM talkies, the multi-talented artist has churned out shows ranging in genres. Whether it was his Virus 2062, Love In The Time Of Corona or Kaali Awaazein presented by Amitabh Bachchan, Mantra has truly broken through the clutter of audio story-telling in India. He recently helmed Prajakta Koli, Taaruk Raina and Adarsh Gourav’s coming-of-age audible series Desi DownUnder. Mantra exclusively spoke with News18 Showsha where he talked about the future of audio story-telling in the country.
Here are the excerpts:
How was your collaborative experience with Mithila Gupta? What are some of the things about Desi Down Under that instantly compelled you to direct it?
Mithila Gupta is a lot of fun, and that reflects in her stories. Also, she captures human emotions in a very nonchalant manner. I really enjoyed bringing her characters to life. We started working on the story in January 2022. I loved the draft she sent, and we worked together streamlining our ideas towards making it even more immersive and gripping. We had a fabulous creative in the form of Manali Rasal who helped us create a compelling Hindi version of the script. So, the 3 M’s (Mithila, Mantra, Manali) got together and lived this story for months.Throughout the collaborative process, we shared countless brainstorming sessions and engaging discussions, constantly pushing each other to explore new ideas and push the boundaries of our project. The story combines the adventure of three childhood friends chasing their dreams with zest of romance and comedy. The story is a delightful blend of genres that offers a unique and refreshing take on storytelling. What compelled me to direct Desi Down Under was the possibility of creating the first ever Inter Continent audio drama with actors based in 2 different countries coming together and sounding as if there were in the same room.
How did you zero in on Prajakta Koli, Taaruk Raina, and Adarsh Gourav as the leads? Were there also other actors that you had considered before deciding on the current cast?
Casting was a tedious process. We had to find the perfect trio and considering the fact that this is an audio series, it didn’t matter whether you had six-pack abs, what mattered was whether they could transport the listeners to Sydney with just their voice. After an extensive casting process, we zeroed in on the most amazing trio we could have asked for – Prajakta Koli, Taaruk Raina, and Adarsh Gourav. This was my first time working with Prajakta and I was pleasantly surprised with her finesse in this medium. She has a terrifically expressive voice and she took to it like fish in the water. Adarsh was the most dedicated of them all, he imbibed the process completely and was always willing to go deeper with his character with the smallest nuances. Taaruk, I am afraid will always be my favorite, as he is my little buddy, a brother from another mother. As we both have worked with each other extensively in the past, it was a smooth experience. He is a maverick behind the microphone and it is there for everyone to hear in DDU.
Walk me through the process of directing an audio series like Desi Down Under as opposed to visual direction. How difficult and challenging is it to set the mood of the story?
Desi Down Under has been my most ambitious project. I tell stories through sound and I wanted to capture the essence of Australia on my binaural microphone. If that meant I had to fly to Sydney and walk the streets of the city with a strange-looking device in my hand, I was up for it. We sought to make the program as relatable and real as we could. Therefore, it was crucial to find the right cast, which included both Indian and Australian actors. Due to the involvement of two nations, their citizens, and two different time zones, the production process for the show was undoubtedly unique.
For a movie or a TV series, there are so many visual aids for the viewers to get hooked on to the story. For an audio series like Desi Down Under and that too a wanderlust one, what were some of the things you implemented as the director that guaranteed listeners binge-listening to all the episodes?
Audio Dramas are like a blind man’s television. We paint pictures on an invisible canvas of the mind. Through the power of sound, we create pictures in the minds of our listeners. And sometimes the mind can create visuals no camera can ever capture. Thus, I believe audio dramas are much more powerful as the listeners become their own directors. Of course, what helps is the foley and sound effects which bring alive the imagination. I personally roamed around Sydney walking down the streets capturing the sounds of busy streets, capturing the sound of nature, etc on my binaural microphone. With a storyline so gripping, actors pouring their hearts, and the real sounds of Sydney, this series is the perfect binge podcast you were waiting for.
What were the briefs that you gave to all the actors in the context of their approach to their characters?
And how did they respond to it and how did they make this audio series their own? My brief to the actors is always to see the visuals in their heads while acting out a scene for this medium. I feel if the actor manages to see it, the listener will begin to see it too. As there were a lot of physical scenes in the series, many of them in the ocean, it was necessary for the actors to give us real physical stress in their voices. For many, it was an actual excursion and they actually felt short of breath at times.
Audio storytelling while prevalent in the West is still a niché medium for the listeners in India. How can we attract more listeners to this medium and in what way do you make audio series engaging, the ones that you have directed?
I feel the audio medium creates visuals in the listener’s mind, which is a great thing. Our mind is the greatest filmmaker. Listeners can still enjoy and engage themselves in the work while their earphones are still on. The maker of the audio series has to pick compelling stories and has to make the series so interesting that the listener visualizes the picture in their mind.
Tell us something about MnM Talkies? Your journey with the audio production house and how do you plan to curate more listeners in the coming time?
In the world of podcasts, audio fiction is a different game altogether. Unlike regular podcasts, audio fiction is not fast food, it rather takes the finesse of a fine dine chef to create a theatre of the mind experience. MnM Talkies is my dream come true, it’s our audio wing and a leading audio content studio. At MnM, we bring the finest audio stories to life and have been continuously pushing the boundaries in the field of audio entertainment since our inception in 2016. Over the last 5 years, MnM Talkies has created top chartbuster audio shows that are extremely popular on streaming platforms including Batman Ek Chakravyuh, Kaali Awaazein, Commander Karan Saxena, awardwinning shows like Bhaskar Bose, Aakhri Sawaal and many more.
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