Tigmanshu Dhulia's next to be cop-dacoit drama

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Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia has locked the script for his next directorial, a cop-dacoit drama based on the life and times of bandit Dadua. Shiv Kumar Patel, alias Dadua, was a dacoit who operated in the ravines and forests on the borders between the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He was gunned down by the Special Task Force in 2007.

Tigmanshu, known to direct critically acclaimed films including "Paan Singh Tomar", "Saheb Biwi aur Gangster", is now looking to mount the project. "I am working on a feature and I've just finished the script. I'm now trying to set it up, pursue some actors. It's a dacoit drama, a cop film. It's based on Dadua, a dreaded dacoit in the Banda-Chitrakoot area," Tigmanshu told PTI.

"He reigned for 35 years and was bigger than Veerappan. It's about how the Special Task Force managed to eliminate him. The film will tell this story," he added.

Besides the new film, Tigmanshu recently came aboard "Out of Love", the Indian adaptation of the British series "Doctor Foster". The Hotstar show features Rasika Dugal and Purab Kohli in the lead and chronicles what happens when a wife finds out that her partner is cheating on her. Tigmanshu, who has directed the first two episodes of the series, was drawn to the material as he never explored an adult relationship such as this for the screen.

"This is not something that I'm immediately drawn to. I like action, dark spaces but I had never dealt with this material before... of an adult relationship. 'Saheb Biwi aur Gangster' was in a darker space.

"So, I thought of pushing myself as an artiste as it was something I hadn't done before. I was also dealing with these actors for the first time and it was fantastic."

The director said for the show, which deals with infidelity and has a woman headlining it, he made sure he didn't look at it through a man's gaze. "I never wanted to be judgemental about it. Initially, I was looking at this through a man's gaze whereas the protagonist was a woman. So, I had to get into her psyche. I would always ask my female assistants or crew, what do they feel about it. I had to take in everyone's point of view without being judgemental and then go ahead with it," he added.

What also made it new for Tigmanshu was the approach with which he shot the drama series.

"Instead of showing two talking heads and cover the action, I thought of shooting it like a thriller. Which the original has, but not like this. My approach was voyeuristic, it's as if you're watching someone's life secretly. Which was a lot of fun.

"The story also travels through the entire process of an affair. What happens when people are trying to communicate, open up. The story covers all the islands of a relationship. Usually in our Hindi films, we don't go through this process," he added.

The show will steam on Hotstar from November 22.