Acclaimed filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor’s first OTT venture City of Dreams saw a godfather-esque battle of succession between two siblings, one worthy and the other a man. We saw the attempted assassination of a controversial politician, and how his son and daughter went to extreme lengths to claim their throne. At the end of season one, daughter Poornima Gaikwad (Priya Bapat), emerged as the winner.
Now, after a long hiatus of two years, the show is back with the second season, which follows the story of Poornima as the interim Chief Minister of Maharashtra. This time, he has to face a bigger enemy, his father Ameya Rao Gaikwad (Atul Kulkarni) himself.
Apart from Atul Kulkarni and Priya Bapat, City of Dreams also stars Ejaz Khan in the lead role, playing the role of Senior Inspector Wasim Khan. In a free-wheeling chat with News18, Ejaz talks about the highly anticipated season two, and what’s in store for his character in particular.
Talking about the upcoming season, Ejaz said, “Wasim is Purmina’s most trusted ally and strength. Poornima is the interim chief minister and she has to find out if she can stake claim for the chief minister’s post. But his father Amey Rao Gaikwad will not let it go so easily. So it’s a war between father and daughter for the kingdom and how all the other characters are drawn into the war.”
In season one, we saw Wasim Khan finding the culprits behind the Ameya Rao assassination attempt. By doing so, he was trying to regain his lost glory. Talking about Wasim’s journey in Season 2, Ejaz shared, “Wasim has always been a realist, and that is why it has been very difficult for him to keep pace with what is happening in the real world. He understands that some people have to be villains and some people have to take a high moral ground because they want votes. Some people will always be soldiers and some will be sacrificed in the journey. He has been a part of the political upheaval that is going on. If you look in Season 1, that was one of the reasons Gaikwad could control Doc. This season, it will be expanded.”
He continued, “Earlier in Season 1 he was more selfish. He was thinking about his game and trying to get back what he had lost. But here he realizes the bigger picture – how A person like Poornima Gaikwad needs to run the state for the betterment of all. That is one of the reasons why he is supporting her.”
It was challenging for Ejaz to get into the character in season two. “I thought that there would be no need for preparation. I thought I knew Wasim Khan very well. But sadly I made a mistake. When I used to go on the sets, I used to have some problems and sometimes -Sometimes it used to be hit and miss. But when I came back from Bigg Boss and I started shooting there was no problem. We had very tough scenes, so sometimes they used to affect the performance. So that’s why. It became very easy for me. And we have a director like Nagesh Kukunoor, who can easily take scenes wherever he wants.”
He also spoke about how the filmmaker helped him on the sets. “I loved working with him (Kukunoor) in Season 1 and in Season 2 I was set on thinking ‘oh my god, he’s going to have higher expectations of me,’ and that caused some performance anxiety. Confessed in front that I am having problems. Every time I am trying to do a scene, I try to compare this Wasim Khan with the first season. But he told me it was natural. He Said, ‘Give it your best and keep it as honest as possible and it will be done.’ And if there was a problem, there was a concern, I used it in the scene.
“There is a scene where I see my hands trembling, and this was happening to me because I was unwell. I had typhoid three months ago, and when I used to come on the sets I was very weak, and my mind would sometimes get cloudy. So I used it to my advantage in my performance, so it worked out very well,” reveals Ejaz.
Between season one and two of the show, Ejaz also participated in Bigg Boss 14. He was a strong contender in the show and was speculated to be the finalist. However, he had to leave the show midway to complete the shooting of the web series. Devoleena Bhattacharjee, who replaced her in the show, was soon eliminated. While his Bigg Boss journey was cut short, Ejaz said that the way City of Dreams Season 2 turned out, it made up for it.
“I am very excited for City of Dreams Season 2. I got kicked out of Bigg Boss for this, I had to finish my shoot. I wanted to finish my shoot. I think it paid off, it turned out very well. I watched some parts while dubbing some scenes. I know the people who edited the show have told me the parts that are kick-ass. I just want more people to watch it because we have worked very hard on it and it is a great show.”
City of Dreams Season 2 also stars Sachin Pilgaonkar and Sushant Singh in lead roles. The show will premiere on Disney Plus Hotstar on July 30, 2021.
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