New Pangas & Taxing Situations Persist But 'Pitchers' Will Continue To Chase Their Dream In S2

Some stories strike a bond with the viewers that might get hazy with time but it also has the potential to get renewed even after years. Pitchers is one such story.

Naveen, Yogi, Mandal and Jitu seemed like any other set of friends who had reached saturation in their jobs and dreamt of doing something big. They shared a vision of starting something of their own and putting everything that they have collectively to use and come out with a fabulous product that will put an end to all their sufferings and miseries. However, do you realize that while we all rooted for them unconditionally, we never found out what exactly was their start up idea?

TVF

If you are nodding your head in agreement, then let¡¯s just say that it¡¯s a blessing that TVF Pitchers is all set to come back in our lives at a time when we least expected it to.

Indiatimes sat down for a detailed conversation with the cast and crew of the hit series, which not only kickstarted the whole ¡®Start-Up¡¯ revolution but also brought about the web/mini series culture, coined ¡®Tu Beer Hai¡¯ theory and encouraged job workers to not give up on their dreams.

indiatimes

The first thing that came up during the discussion was the whole social media backlash over the character of Jitu not making the cut in the much-awaited second season.

Refraining from giving out a definitive answer, director Vaibhav Bundhoo maintained that fans should expect a surprise in Season 2 as the fate of many characters will be revealed including Naveen¡¯s girlfriend Shreya and Mandal¡¯s friend Rastogi apart from Jitu, the fourth co-founder of Pragati.

TVF

The product placement in the first season was seamlessly done and during my revision, I noticed that some of the start-ups mentioned in Pitchers still exist, seven years on! Even in the second one, Sugar Cosmetics founder Vineeta Singh has a special cameo.

When asked about the same, TVF founder and the actor who plays Yogi, Arunabh Kumar said,

¡°We always want to be honest and authentic to the world. In season 1, we had all those people who belong to the world of start-ups making cameos and appearances. When you are showing that world, there are certain personalities that are very larger than life and some who are idolized in the sector. Thankfully, they are all fans of the show and our story-telling.

¡°For instance, Vineeta is a very old friend of mine, we used to sit in a coffee shop where I used to write my scripts and she used to work on her PPTs and pitches. Now, she is one of the most popular and successful founders and entrepreneurs. In this world, whenever you go to any event, you tend to bump into each other. That¡¯s why we wanted to keep it authentic. We also have a cameo of Kartik Reddy who is the founder and investor of Bloom ventures. He is amongst some early stage investors in some of the biggest unicorns of the country. There are at least 10 more such people making appearances in Pitches 2. You¡¯ll get to see real life thought-leaders, founders and entrepreneurs of the sector. It just helps make the world more realistic on screen.¡±

indiatimes

Come to think of it, before Shark Tank India dropped and instigated a country-wide interest, it was Pitchers that planted the seed of start-ups in our minds.

Sharing his two cents on the same, Vaibhav Bundhoo said,

¡°Startups are the rockstars of this generation. Everyone aspires to be a successful business person. When the first season came, we were just catching momentum, now startups are a part of our everyday life. Everyone is very familiar with them. They have become a part of our society. This season also addresses that and it is very relevant to the current times. This one will speak to the newer generations and the old.¡°

Ridhi Dogra, a prominent star of the world of Television, will be making her digital debut with Pitchers. In fact, she is probably the only female entrepreneur who tries to bring about a revolution. When asked how her experience was to represent her gender in a male-dominated arena, she said,

Indiatimes

¡°It wasn¡¯t very different from how I generally work in life. As an actor, oftentimes I'm the only woman on the set and I work around a sea of men. I have always said that women are made to look like we are delicate and beautiful as we wear lipstick and eyeliner but we actually work like soldiers. We work the same amount as a man does. We just look beautiful and we are the superior species.¡±

¡°All that aside, it was incredible to work with TVF because they really invest in their stories. They have a lot of originality in how they work. I was working in TV when this show came out and today I feel like I have worked well enough on myself to be able to have a seat on the table and be able to work with these guys. I love the way they work, it¡¯s very inclusive and collaborative. I love that they had so much clarity and they had a certain vision about my character,¡± she concluded.

Another very interesting character was that of Bhati, the man who told Naveen that ¡®tu beer hai behen***¡¯. However, the enigma of this super successful entrepreneur who had lifted a funding of 100 million dollars lasted for only 2-3 scenes in the pilot episode. Will he make a comeback too?

TVF

The director announced that he will indeed make an appearance and this time it won¡¯t be a short one like its predecessor. Vaibhav said,

¡°He¡¯s a mentor character to Naveen. Naveen learns a lot from him. He was the instigator as he started that spark inside Naveen¡¯s head. Now that he¡¯s put him on that journey, he¡¯ll try to guide him along. He¡¯s seen the industry and he has worked the ropes, he knows the ins and outs of getting the funding and he surely knows all the venture capitalists. He¡¯ll take up the job of advising and mentoring Naveen in a meatier role in the second installment.¡±

He further added, ¡±Bhati is the only character who showcases the glamorous side of this world because our original characters are middle class and humble and are still struggling.¡±

The world has changed - both in the story and the real one. We are surrounded by start-ups and they are an integral part of our daily lives. Keeping up with the time, will Pitchers season 2 provide key takeaways for the audiences?

Zee5

Arunabh, who has also co-written the series said,

¡°We have researched a lot of stories from real life entrepreneurs and their startups. The phase that comes after the first investment is a trickier one because shit gets real, life becomes hard, there¡¯s a lot of tension and drama. Interpersonal dynamics change, some people come into your life, others make a blinding exit.¡±

He further said, ¡°One of our writers Garima said that it¡¯s a very unkind world that we¡¯ll get to see in season 2 as stakes will increase. Just like in real life, when you grow in your jobs, you think you have been promoted but then there are a lot of things at stake.¡±

¡°What got us really excited was the fact that in the show, romanticism has happened, now rubber meets the road, what will happen. We have taken from real life people. There are 24 employees in the company now and we have treated them as one character. They will share their point of views and we are hoping that it resonates with viewers so that they can avoid rookie mistakes.¡±

Naveen Kasturia who plays Naveen Bansal, the man who gave birth to the group¡¯s start-up idea, is basking in the successful glory of Breath Into The Shadows.

indiatimes

When asked which role was comparatively more challenging, he said jokingly, ¡°I think plotting to kill people comes more naturally to me.¡±

He further elaborated, ¡°Playing Naveen last time was also quite difficult but this time it¡¯s more challenging because he doesn¡¯t really have any kind of strange eccentricities. To play an eccentric character and leave an impact is easier than to create the same impact with a subtle one. It¡¯s quite hard.¡±

With an anticipated recession around the corner, the story of four guys taking such a huge career risk could go in the wrong direction. Nowadays, series and films often get bad rep for leaving a negative influence on the viewers¡¯ minds.

TVF

Taking the lead, Ridhi chose to set the record straight, she said,

¡°It¡¯s entertainment. I personally feel, We put too much responsibility on entertainment but it is only meant to entertain and not be preachy.

All the good stuff or great value systems that we see across all the content we don¡¯t imbibe that in ourselves and we don¡¯t become good human beings by watching something good but the minute we watch something negative or unconventional - we say they(makers/actors) are promoting this. We need to ease it out - it¡¯s mere entertainment. It¡¯s just a story about a few people - if it doesn¡¯t resonate with you, it will resonate with someone else. Anyone who has ever had dreams, who has lost dreams, who wants to have hope or has lost it, who¡¯s hit by recession or not impacted by it - it¡¯s a universal story for anybody and everybody out there. ¡°

imdb

Adding to this, Bundhoo continued,

¡°Season 2 is different from season 1 - it¡¯s not like a rosy-eyed, naive and optimistic view of the world. This recession thing might make it more relatable because even these guys are struggling and it¡¯s a survival story. For all you know, these guys might just shut their company.¡±

Summing it up, one can say that just like the first season, Pitches season 2 will likely make room for a lot of discussions as the story of all these characters will engross the viewers once again and make many believe that they are not beer but ¡®whiskey bc¡¯!

Check out the trailer right here:

Pitchers season 2 will be available to stream on Zee5 from Dec 23.