Production designer Varsha Jain discusses the process of setting up the sets for The Great Indian Kapil Show with her team.
Prior to its global streaming debut, more than three months of intense behind-the-scenes effort were dedicated to setting up the stages for comedian Kapil Sharma’s latest series, “The Great Indian Kapil Show.” Production designer Varsha Jain has provided insights into the preparation process for the Netflix show, which recently released its fifth episode featuring superstar Aamir Khan.
When the series premiered with its first episode featuring Ranbir Kapoor, alongside his actor mother Neetu Kapoor and sister Riddhima Kapoor, Varsha Jain felt “extremely nervous” about the audience’s response to the show’s new setting in an airport. “Creating an airport setting without it feeling artificial was crucial for us, and fortunately.
Having previously collaborated with Kapil and his production team on their television shows, which had become a staple in many Indian households, Varsha naturally joined the Netflix project. The project came with a clear directive: to venture beyond their comfort zone and establish the show in a unique environment.
“The concept was to depict Kapil opening a café within an airport setting. The writers envisioned it as an ideal spot to catch actors during their travels, reflecting the constant movement within the airport environment,” she explained.
With this vision, Varsha initiated the pre-production phase. The set, designed to have a global appeal due to its Netflix platform, still retained its Indian essence. Despite being housed in the same studio as Kapil’s previous shows in Film City, the set appeared larger thanks to the addition of a ceiling, creating an indoor atmosphere.
“Pre-production lasted about two months, during which we meticulously planned the design on paper. Understanding the movements of characters like Krishna and the cook was crucial. Additionally, we had to account for logistical elements such as the golf cart’s movement within the space,” she elaborated.
Varsha and her team drew inspiration from the Mumbai airport, which features a blend of Indian art within contemporary architecture. They opted for minimal use of glass and steel, instead emphasizing colors and wooden textures to enhance the warmth of the show.
“We deliberated on the type of art to incorporate at the airport, the style of the café, ensuring it wasn’t overly contemporary and remained true to Indian aesthetics,” Varsha explained.
During pre-production, Varsha and her team tackled essential questions such as camera placement, space requirements for actors and gags, and audience seating arrangements.
“Once the designs were finalized, we had 45 days to construct the set. With a team of 60-70 people working daily, we typically followed a 9-9 shift. However, as deadlines approached, the crew expanded to around 120 people, working through the night to ensure everything was in place,” she elaborated.
While there was an initial idea to showcase planes landing and taking off, it proved distracting for the cameras and was ultimately scrapped. Varsha highlighted her favorite aspect, the runway behind the band area, offering a glimpse of the airport ambiance.
Behind the scenes, the teams work tirelessly, coordinating among themselves before presenting Kapil with the final design.
“That’s when we present it to him for his feedback, what he wants changed, what works for him. This one worked for Kapil pretty much, the only thing he added was that he didn’t want the same backdrop to be there when they do gags. In the sense, if it was a mohalla set in the previous season, they would put props in front of the house and do gags there.
“But we didn’t want the cafe to be the backdrop always because then that is a giveaway that we have done a set up right in the centre of the stage in front of the cafe. So, in this we have a revolving cafe. Every time there is a tag, it simply turns over and there is a simpler background so that we can do different set ups each time. That was the only thing that came with him,” she revealed.
But with so many people involved, a set to run and a show to film, are there nightmares days for a production designer? Varsha laughed and said ‘several’ as she listed the last minute changes that often crop up.
“Such as certain colours or cushions not working when the cameras have come and you have only a few hours of the night to touch it up, to do it again. What is challenging is to turn it around in limited time with the things that we have already. When the cameras come, you are very close to the shoot dates, then there is not much time to reconsider or to try something else. But there are no last-minute changes on a shoot day, which is why they have technical checks.
“We do a lot of that before the guests come or the final day of shoot. So the tech day is a challenging day, where you figure if the red is looking too red on camera, if certain parts of the sets are just not visible. The first episode that’s shot is where all questions are answered, whatever tweaking is necessary is done. Once the first episode is shot, and if it is all fine, then we don’t have to change around much. It is just the props. We did a test shoot for this one, we prepared ourselves very well and the result was fantastic,” she signed off.