Interview: CID Director Prabal Barua Unlocks the Mystery of "Knock Knock Kaun Hai…"

Filmmaker Prabal Barua has successfully kept his audiences at the edge of their seats through the years with his unique style of storytelling, filled with suspense, mystery, drama, emotion, and humor. This is evident across his work, from TV series like the action-packed CID, the supernatural thriller Aahat, and the courtroom drama Adalat, to the offbeat silent comedy GuturGu, and through various OTT series and feature films.

He is now all set to engage moviegoers once again with his upcoming closed-room mystery thriller on the big screen. He shares his views on the art of filmmaking and discusses the film in conversation with Rashmi Sharmah.

Rashmi Sharmah: Can you share a little bit about the suspense and mystery at the heart of Knock Knock Kaun Hai?

Prabal Barua: As the poster suggests, the film is indeed a closed-room mystery and a suspense thriller. It’s a quirky story, and while it is a commercial film, it is not run-of-the-mill. Basically, it is a story of relationships and their complications. The happenings are confined to a vacant house. A lady is waiting for her boyfriend there; they wish to spend the day together after a long time. However, the man gets delayed on the way, and in the meantime, one uninvited stranger after another knocks at the door. Each one brings with him or her some element of terror and drama that provides twists throughout the story.

What made you go ahead with this project?

During the lockdown, when I was spending a lot of time reading, researching, and writing, this idea struck me. I casually kept writing and developing the story. One day, when I met Dayanand Shetty and Aditya Shrivastav—my dear friends whom I directed in CID—I narrated the story to them. They immediately liked it and found it very mesmerizing. They pushed me to develop it further for a feature film, and that’s how it all happened.

The film has an interesting cast. Please share some memorable moments from the shoot.

I have been working with Dayanand Shetty and Aditya Shrivastav for the last twenty years, and they have remained close friends. I am a fan of both these actors as they are very intelligent and sharp. I had been waiting to do something different with them. I had seen one side of them as actors, so I wanted to do something unpredictable and break the clutter.

In this film, they are not playing strong, positive cops; rather, their characters have a grey shade. The film presents them in a new, very refreshing image altogether. It's like watching two powerhouses coming together on the big screen for the first time.

I am working with Sonali Kulkarni for the first time. I had met her once to discuss some other film that didn’t materialize, but I felt she would fit very well into the role of Pooja in this film. She joined in and did a fantastic job.

Actor Barkha plays a central role in the film and did an excellent job. In fact, for this character, it took me a very long time to actually finalize the artist. We did many auditions and almost signed one, but it didn't seem to be working, and finally, Barkha was selected. Her character is very challenging. As a whole, everyone did well.

You have directed one Assamese and two Hindi feature films. How would you compare the experience?

My first Hindi feature film was Strawberry Point, which premiered at the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival in 2019, and then my Assamese feature film Mur Xhekh Gaan came out in 2022. Now, I have another Hindi feature film. Well, a film is a film, and there is no comparison as such. Change of language is just the change in the medium of communication.

But yes, shooting for the Assamese film was all done in Assam, in and around Guwahati—that is home. I worked with the unit here, which had people with whom I share the same culture. Moreover, my close friends and cousins were part of the team, so it was a homely atmosphere.

In the case of my Hindi films, we shoot in the Mumbai industry, which is very professional and has a commercial approach to the work we do. Though even in this team most of them are close friends and we could work smoothly, still, making a suspense thriller requires a lot of high energy.

Your work spans from television to OTT to the big screen. How has this transition helped you evolve as a storyteller?

Yes, I started with television and used to make corporate films, documentaries, and did a bit of advertising in the initial years. Then I began to use fiction with CID. I later moved to films alongside television work and also began work on OTT.

Television brings discipline. You have a limited budget, and you have to work as per the expectations of the channel, the broadcaster, the creative team, the marketing team, and more, while also respecting the given timeline. You have to be to the point. Television is also ruthless, and this keeps you on your toes all the time.

Films, on the other hand, are larger than life. Here, the director is the captain of the ship, and all ideas sprout from the director and scriptwriter. The producer expects you to make a good film, and that's all. You have more freedom and time. At the same time, the challenges are bigger.

OTT is in between television and films. It requires the discipline and timeliness of television but also gives some creative freedom. Technically, the process remains the same for all the mediums, though the grammar and the narrative vary.

Your take on the new generation of aspiring filmmakers?

The new generation is smarter and sharper. They learn things very fast, but this is also because of the ** advanced technology** they have access to. When we started our careers as directors, there were no mobile phones, no internet, and cameras were not digital. All work was done on analog. Infrastructure was limited, and everything was very expensive.

This generation benefits from iPhones, tablets, and digital cameras, which allow them to make films more easily. Yet, technology can be both a curse and a boon. Filmmaking is no longer an art or craft limited to some privileged few today, but still, you have to have the creative skills. A person cannot be a painter just by buying a brush and paint. Similarly, a singer doesn't happen just by holding a mic in their hands. You need that skill and talent as well. Just buying gadgets cannot make you a filmmaker.

Filmmaking is an art, and a filmmaker is a storyteller who needs to have vast knowledge of things. They are the mouthpiece of society, so the new generation definitely needs to spend time reading a lot and also writing. You need to consume and keep upgrading yourself to deliver.

Would you like to disclose anything about your future projects in Assam?

 I am working on a script, a thriller, for my next Assamese film, and I will hopefully shoot it next year, in 2026. This time, I will make it bilingual, both in Assamese and in Hindi.

I am disclosing my two other forthcoming projects in the Northeast to you for the first time. One is a musical road film, and the other is a silent film. I am all set for my Assamese films.