'Bambai Meri Jaan' a gut-wrenching story with complex characters: Kay Kay Menon

Mumbai: Actor Kay Kay Menon on Monday said his character in the upcoming series "Bambai Meri Jaan" is of a "multi-layered and complex" cop torn between professional duties and personal commitments.

Produced by Excel Media and Entertainment, the 10-part show is created by Shujaat Saudagar and Rensil D'Silva. Saudagar has also directed the series from a story by S Hussain Zaidi.

Set in the post-independence era, the story chronicles the life and rise of a young man, Dara Kadri (Avinash Tiwary), torn between his father’s law enforcement legacy (Menon) and his own journey into the heart of organised crime. Menon said Shujaat and Rensil’s clear vision for the character of Ismail Kadri made the process of playing the role easy for him.

“My character Ismail Kadri is multi-layered and complex. He is an honest cop and a doting father who isn’t perfect. On one hand, he is deeply committed to cleaning the city of Bambai of all crime, on the other, to save his family, he is forced to become a pawn to the city’s crime syndicate. Even as Ismail fights against all odds not to give in to the evil surrounding him, he sees his own flesh and blood rising as the city’s new gang lord.

"Shujaat and Rensil's vision for this character was so clear and precise that it was easy for me to essay this role. Thank you, Prime Video and Excel Entertainment, Rensil and Shujaat, for making me a part of such a gut-wrenching story," Menon said in a statement following the trailer launch of the series.

"Bambai Meri Jaan" is backed by Excel Media and Entertainment’s Ritesh Sidhwani, Kassim Jagmagia and Farhan Akhtar.

Tiwary said when he first read the script he was awestruck and hesitant at the same time.

"The character I play in 'Bambai Meri Jaan' is something that very few actors get an opportunity to sink their teeth into, this early in their career. The way I saw it, there are villains and then there is Dara, a dynamic young man who believes that honest hard work won’t get you money and power.

"As a director, Shujaat’s creativity, attention to detail, and his ability to inspire and motivate each one of us to give our best, really enabled me to bring Dara’s character to life the way he and Rensil had envisioned while writing the script. I am looking forward to reactions from viewers from India and around the world," the actor said.

Prime members in India and across 240 countries and territories worldwide will be able to stream all the 10 episodes of "Bambai Meri Jaan" from September 14.