Siddharth P Malhotra on how Doctors is different from his previous medical dramas: 'On TV, I couldn't...' | Exclusive

The accomplished filmmaker Siddharth P Malhotra, who has previously made critically acclaimed films such as We Are Family, Hichki, and Maharaj, is the creative force behind the recent web series Doctors. In a freewheeling conversation with DNA, Siddharth shared what were the challenges he faced while making the OTT show.

Sharing the creative inputs he provided for Doctors, Siddharth said, "I have been a creative on five TV shows based on doctors - Sanjivani 1, Sanjivani 2, Zindagi Wins, Ayushmaan, and Dill Mill Gayye. There I couldn't do stuff, which I was allowed to do on OTT. In those TV shows, nobody ever died. In Doctors, we have actually showcased the real lives of doctors. The cases, which we have touched upon, are all real-life cases. There is a lot that has gone from our side to create the concept. A lot has gone into writing it with the Jio Studios before we finalised the cast. And thank god, with some little publicity, the show is doing really well and that's the power of content."

Siddharth added that though he got the creative freedom from Jio Studios to create the show, there were a lot of logistical hurdles that they faced while making Doctors. "We were shooting in real hospitals. The hurdle was that the actors should be operating right and speaking the right language since they are actors, not doctors, but by the time show ended, all of them had become half doctors", he said. 

The filmmaker further added, "Also, if you see the show, there's a lot of chaos in each and every scene so it was very crucial to get each and every scene shot correct. There's madness in the emergency room, and that's what happens in a regular hospital. To get these things right were all the logistic nightmares we battled."

Featuring Sharad Kelkar, Harleen Sethi, Aamir Ali and Viraf Patel in the leading roles, Doctors premiered on JioCinema on December 27 and is receiving love and accolades from the audiences and critics. Siddharth P Malhotra and Sapna Malhotra have produced the series under Alchemy Films Pvt Ltd.