FICCI Frames Hosts a Special Ride into the World of Dupahiya Season 2 with Cast, Creators and Prime Video Leadership

FICCI Frames hosted a special session celebrating the return of Dupahiya Season 2, bringing together the cast, creators and leadership from Prime Video India for an engaging conversation around the making and evolution of the series. The event also featured an exclusive screening of the first episode of the second season, offering audiences an early glimpse into the world of Dhadakpur and the new set of challenges, characters and chaos that await. The session featured acclaimed actor Gajraj Rao, alongside Sparsh Srivastava and Bhuvan Arora, with creators and producers Shubh Shivdasani and Salona Bains Joshi, and director Sonam Nair. They were joined by Nikhil Madhok, Director and Head of Originals (SVOD), and Shilangi Mukherji, Director and Head, SVOD Business, Amazon Prime Video India, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios.

During the conversation, Nikhil Madhok and Gajraj Rao shared insights into the appeal of comedy-drama storytelling and the world of Dupahiya, with Madhok speaking about Prime Video’s continued investment in rooted, small-town comedies, while Rao drew an interesting parallel between Dhadakpur and the world of Malgudi Days.

Talking about why Prime Video invests in comedy dramas, Nikhil Madhok, Director and Head of Originals (SVOD) said, “I think, you know, we live in a chaotic world. We live in a, you know, it’s a difficult world and comedy brings that joy, it brings that relief, which is important for everybody. And I feel over a period of time, as streaming has grown, as our writing ecosystem has flourished and become so much more experienced and competent, some great writings have been in comedy. So, if there is willingness to invest and you have creative talent, that’s pretty significant. I think it is a happy marriage. And for us, as I mentioned, when we started this journey about five years ago with Panchayat and every new season of that show was sort of a universe of small town rooted comedies that we’ve created, we’ve just received more and more viewership and help from our customers. So it sort of gives us a sense that we’re in the right direction. And hopefully we can keep building on it in the next couple of years as well.

Talking about being chosen for such roles and drawing a parallel between Dupahiya and Malgudi Days, Gajraj Rao said, “Main lucky hoon ki makers mujhe aise parts ke liye choose karte hain. Main isko aise dekhta hoon ki jo R.K. Laxman ka Common Man tha, mujhe woh bahut appeal karta hai, jo kone mein khada rehta hai, uske aas-paas sab kuch ho raha hota hai aur woh apni taraf se zyada initiative nahi leta hai, lekin kahin na kahin humour aa jaata hai uske andar. Ya phir uska example Malgudi Days hai. Toh samajh lijiye, jo Malgudi hai, woh Dhadakpur hai aaj ka, and Banwari jo hai, woh Swami hai, bada ho gaya hai.”

Speaking about what makes Dupahiya resonate with audiences and actors alike, Sparsh Srivastava said, “Aaj hai World’s Heart Day aur humara gaav ka naam hai Dhadakpur. Toh yeh jo World’s Heart Day pe Dhadakpur ka pehla episode dekha hai aapne, I am sure yeh sabke dil mein ghar bana lega, kyunki hum jab dekh rahe the toh beech episode dekhte-dekhte aisa time aaya ki yeh already ghar hai, ghar pe apne sofa pe baith ke dekh raha hoon. Toh woh jo feeling hai, I think woh feeling yeh show deta hai and that’s what makes it what it is. So I think that hominess is the foundation of Dupahiya.”

Bhuvan Arora added, “Dupahiya itself is the joy, and I don’t know if joy is specific to any region of the country. I think it is a feeling that is enjoyed and loved throughout the world, and that’s what gives Dupahiya a universal appeal. And also the sensitivity which it keeps in certain topics like racism and dowry. So I don’t think the appeal of Dupahiya is restricted to smaller cities, as it rises above that, and I feel it makes everybody laugh. Hasna sabko pasand hai and humko hasana aata hai.”

Directed by Sonam Nair, Dupahiya season two is created and produced by Salona Bains Joshi and Shubh Shivdasani under the banner of Bombay Film Cartel LLP, and created and written by Avinash Dwivedi and Chirag Garg. Picking up from where Season one left off, the new season brings back Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane, Sparsh Shrivastava, Bhuvan Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi, and Yashpal Sharma, with Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua) joining the ensemble. Dupahiya season two will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on October 1.