Chaar Yaar director on Season 2, casting fresh faces and why he doesn't read reviews

What if a bunch of friends, who once shared the simplest of dreams, found themselves making some rather questionable choices when money came knocking? That's the world of Chaar Yaar, director Vinay Waikul's latest series, which takes viewers back to the early 2000s, when the temptation of quick money changes the lives of four young boys.In an exclusive conversation with India Today, the filmmaker shared how creating the show was a nostalgic experience for him. He wanted to depict life in the early 2000s and how things gradually became complicated. The friendship at the centre of the story, however, came from a more personal place. Waikul revealed that the four characters were inspired by his own friendships and the people he grew up with."Those friendships actually are there for life. So, these four friends, I mean, I had these other three friends, and we were just a very close unit. And somewhere, the characters which we created were coming from my real-life experiences, my real friends," he shared.The filmmaker also pointed out that the choices made by the four boys weren't entirely removed from the reality of growing up in a middle-class neighbourhood during a period of economic change. Money was suddenly becoming more visible; aspirations were changing, and not everyone was particularly concerned about how they got rich. In an OTT landscape where a familiar face can often be the easiest way to get audiences to press play, Waikul chose to prioritise character fit over star power. The director revealed that the team auditioned around 45-50 actors, including some familiar names, before zeroing in on the four boys. The real test, however, came when the shortlisted actors were brought together. Waikul wanted to see if they could recreate the effortless camaraderie that was central to the story."These boys first came in individually; we did auditions with them and tested their skills. And once the shortlist happened, we put all four of them in the same room and gave them the situations, and they started playing those parts. And that energy was something very special," he recalled. For him, getting eyeballs through a popular actor might be an easy choice, but sustaining audience interest requires characters that feel believable. He added, "A famous actor can help the series in terms of getting the eyeballs, but I think that is only just getting the eyeballs. Beyond that, if the series has to work, the characters will have to work, and the actors need to be very true to the characters," he explained. Vinay Waikul with Rajesh Tailang (left). The casting process was only the beginning. Waikul revealed that the actors became close friends within the first week of workshops. The team even took them out on the streets and familiarised them with the practical aspects of their characters, including how to jump-start and open a car. Working with a younger cast also gave Waikul an unexpected takeaway. The filmmaker said the experience helped him reconnect with a generation whose lives, challenges and interests are quite different from his own. He added that he felt 10 years younger after working on the show.And if audiences are wondering whether there is more to the lives of these four friends, the director isn't ruling it out. When asked whether a second season was on the cards, he replied with a chuckle, "Oh, we would love to. That's the world I would love revisiting and deep-diving into it and figure out if this whole experience has put some sense in their heads or whether they're still greedy about the money."With the show receiving somewhat mixed reviews, Waikul has a fairly uncomplicated approach to criticism. He said he reads reviews, respects the people writing them, but isn't particularly interested in letting them dictate his creative choices. "I read them very diligently, and I ignore them completely," he said with a laugh. He added that critics, too, are just doing their job, approaching it through their own understanding of the kind of cinema they watch. "But I guess there's a huge gap between what the critics want versus what the audience wants. And I am very clear that the work which I do, it needs to entertain myself and it needs to entertain the audience," he said.Streaming on Prime Video, Chaar Yaar stars Prayrak Mehta, Saqib Ayub, Purav Jha, Naman Jain and Sai Tamhankar, among others.- Ends