Exclusive: “I always wanted to make my digital debut with something fresh, something powerful,” says Mumbai Diaries 26/11 actor Satyajeet Dubey

The Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 have inspired a slew of films over the years, but Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming streaming show Mumbai Diaries 26/11 is set largely inside the emergency ward of a government hospital and tells the untold story of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and hospital staff who worked tirelessly to save lives on the dreaded night of November 26, 2008.

Actor Satyajeet Dubey, who was last seen in the science fiction sitcom series Maharaj Ki Jai Ho (2020), plays a pivotal role in the Nikkhil Advani directed show. He is excited to foray into the digital space with Mumbai Diaries 26/11. As the actor gears up for the premiere of the series on September 9, Eastern Eye talks to Dubey to know more about how he came onboard, what led him to choose it to make his digital debut with, and much more.

Tell us something about your forthcoming streaming show Mumbai Diaries 26/11?

As the trailer shows, our show is from the perspective of the medical fraternity. It tells what a group of doctors went through during the whole tragedy of the Mumbai terror attacks and how they dealt with it.

See, as a doctor when you are working in a government hospital, you are anyway facing a lot of difficulties. Every day is a struggle for you because there are so many patients coming from the lowest strata of society. You try to do your best; you are constantly on your toes with the limited resources available at your disposal.

I think we take our doctors’ services for granted. Most of the time if not all the time. Amidst all this, there is this deadly terrorist attack on your city. If the hospital is equipped to handle a particular number of patients, all of a sudden it multiplies by ten times or even more. Now you are shocked, but you have to figure out what to do. There is a lack of medical supply and so many things. How these doctors come together and decide to win this battle is what you see in the show.

These are, however, only the two types of struggles I told you about – one is pretty much always there on a daily basis. The second one is when the attack happens and so many bodies and wounded people start arriving. The third one is when the terrorist opened fire at the hospital itself. Now, being a doctor, you are doing everything that you can to save people. In times like these, you are not a hero, but you end up doing things that are heroic. And that’s what the show is about. I just hope when people see the show, they are able to empathise with what doctors must have gone through then, and what they went through during the times of coronavirus.

Satyajeet Dubey (Photo credit: Picture Perfect Communications)

What is your character in the series?

I am playing a trainee doctor named Ahan Mirza. He comes from a conservative Muslim background from Mumbai’s Bhindi Bazaar. We are not showing everybody’s journey in the show. But when I do a project, I tend to do a lot of backstory work. Ahan is a guy who has come up a hard way. It was financially not possible for him, but he fought against all odds and made sure he became a doctor. Something must have happened in his past that propelled him to do what he is doing now. He is a guy who is not a quintessential hero but ends up doing things that are pretty heroic. I was at my vulnerable best while I was filming for this series.

How did you bag the show?

So, I got an audition call from Kavish Sinha’s casting agency. I went and tested for it. Then Kavish told me that Nikkhil sir saw my test and said, “Hey, I know this guy. He is a very good actor. I know him. Call him. I want to meet him.” I went to meet Nikkhil sir. He narrated the entire story to me and gave the script. I really loved it. Nikkhil Advani being Nikkhil Advani, one of the prolific filmmakers of our country. I did not want the opportunity to go away, so I grabbed it.

What drew you towards Mumbai Diaries 26/11?

Before coming onboard for Mumbai Diaries 26/11, a lot of people asked me why I was not doing any project for streaming platforms. Honestly speaking, I did not want to do a show for the heck of it. I wanted to do some international cinema kind of stuff in terms of technicality and writing. And when I read the script of Mumbai Diaries 26/11, I was completely blown away. I said to myself, “This has to be my first streaming show.”

Was this the first streaming show offered to you?

No, I had received a couple of offers from some big streaming media platforms before Mumbai Diaries, but most of them were second seasons of already released shows or not one of the main casts. It did not excite me. I always wanted to make my digital debut with something fresh, something powerful. I am very particular about the ways I want to do things. I do not mind sitting at home and going broke for a while (laughs). I do not want to go there again though (laughs).

Satyajeet Dubey (Photo credit: Picture Perfect Communications)

Is being extremely choosy the reason you have not taken up so many projects in your career?

I have been working since I was 17; I am 31 today. I got my first film when I was 18. The film came out when I was 20. At the age of 31, I am getting parts where I play a guy who is 24 or 25. Either I can take it as a pro or a con. But right now, I rather take it as a pro because the characters that I am playing are younger than what I am in real life. I have a soft face, a babyface or whatever you call it. It makes a lot of difference in an actor’s career that what kind of face he has. So, after my debut film Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011), the kind of stuff that was coming to me were roles that required an actor of a certain build, height, chiselled face, etc. That thing is changing rapidly with the arrival of streaming platforms. Earlier, there used to be a typical hero. I never wanted to play a hero’s friend in films. I was very sure about that. I do not mind sitting at home, but I won’t do things that I am not excited about. I am not belittling any part here. All I am trying to say is that I always knew what I am capable of, what I am here to offer. Secondly, when you are not a commercially successful person, a lot of people won’t bet on you. The other way to go forward is to be just so persistent and so consistent with your efforts in creating a good body of work that eventually people have to take notice.

I also feel that though I did not do a lot of films, an artist is also the result of his choices. If I just take up any crap work, as a journalist you won’t like me, you will dismiss me. If I am part of a raunchy, unappealing show, you will be like, “What the hell is he doing, man? He seems to be a decent guy, a decent actor, but what is he doing?” I always waited for the right kind of projects. Having said that, somewhere around 2016-2017, it started getting really frustrating for me because there was no work, no money. Work was coming but it was not the kind of work that I wanted to pick up. I was sustaining on ad films and something here and there. Deep down, it is a very spiritual thing. I have taken a very spiritual path. We tend to give terms to things, but here I do not know what to call it. I just felt some kind of connection saying to me, “You just hang in there. Great things are coming your way.” When I speak to the universe, it feels as if it gave me an internship of 8-9 years to just be there and learn. And now, my actual journey is starting. I genuinely feel my real journey is starting now.

I am sure you must have seen some rushes of Mumbai Diaries 26/11. How has it shaped up, according to you?

I’ll be very honest with you that I have always been very critical of my own work. I remember how I felt when I stepped out of the screening of Always Kabhi Kabhi – produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. I knew I had not liked the film. My director and other people scolded me saying why I was feeling so downcast. I said I did not understand. Maybe I worked in the film that’s why. Being too honest all the time is not always good. But I was a kid, so I said whatever I felt. I’ll be very honest that I did not like most of my films. But when I saw the rushes of Mumbai Diaries, I was like this is going to be the gamechanger. It is a great project. In terms of technicality and writing, it is at par with any great international show. This is a show which is going to be releasing in 240 countries in different languages. I mean, you can be a global star after a show. Why not?