Gaurav Solanki on Tandav's script : It is about India's present and past politics

Mumbai: For Article 15 co-writer Gaurav Solanki his upcoming project Tandav, a fictional story inspired by real life, came as an opportunity to delve deep into the past and present Indian politics.

Featuring Saif Ali Khan in the lead, the germ of the web series, Solanki said, came from its director Ali Abbas Zafar, who is making his digital debut with the project.

"He had this very interesting beginning and two-three major characters and that's when I came on board. I had a small team we did brainstorming and did research and that's how I wrote the series," told Solanki in an interview.

"I was excited because it had so many things to say about today's India, India's past and about all of us. Though it is completely fictional it has threads inspired from real life," he added.

The screenwriter said the political drama will explore the ambition and greed for power.

"It is about what people can do for power and why people need power so desperately and what it does to common people. And what happens in power corridors, what kind of manipulation happens, etc. I have tried to go beyond ideology and to the human core of everything."

Solanki added that the show, set in Delhi, will deal with national and student politics.

Asked about the reported similarities of Tandav with American series 'House of Cards', the writer said even though it deals with a power-hungry politician like Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey),

the story is deeply rooted in India.

"I think the only thing similar to 'House of Cards' is one of the protagonists is a very ambitious politician and it is the inside story of power corridors.

Otherwise it is completely Indian, our politics, characters and storyline is completely different.