Adarsh Grav returns to the audio series format with a new series, Desi Down Under, after lending his voice to Neil Gaiman’s adaptation of The Sandman. This is his Audible original series of 9 episodes of his immersive coming-of-age story set on the Sydney coast. (Also read: Prajakta Koli talks about his new Audible series Desi Down Under and the life-saving skills he wants to learn)
Written by Indo-Australian screenwriter Mithila Gupta, Desi Down Under follows three up-and-coming 20-year-olds from Mangalore to cross the ocean and learn the life-saving skills of surfing on Coogee Beach, Australia. It’s a story to learn.
Adarsh Graub spoke to The Hindustan Times about working on the series with co-stars Prajakta Kori and Taruk Raina, how he relates to his character Deven, and why he wants to feel ‘settled’ as an artist. I told you why not.
What first piqued your interest about Audible’s Desi Down Under?
I thought it was a great story about these friends and the ups and downs they go through in life after choosing to undergo lifesaving training. From a story point of view, it starts off really light, then goes into this kind of space of self-discovery, and finally culminates in a real understanding of who the characters really are. It was very refreshing to be working on What they are, what they stand for and what they want out of life. It was a wonderful story that I could relate to. Then, of course, there are great co-stars like Prajakta (Kori) and Taruk (Raina), and the chance to work with an absolute legend, Mantra (Mugudo)…all these elements combined. ‘ drove me. to seize this chance.
I wanted to ask you about the collaborative process of recording Desi Down Under.
Well, this format is completely different from film work. I’ve known Taruk for a long time and we’re friends. But Prajakta I’ve never been like that before, but when I met her for the first time, I felt like I’d known her for years. She was such a dedicated person and so refreshing to meet…we connected immediately and the atmosphere changed. The idea is just to have fun. Just walk into the studio and react to your co-stars. We were lucky in the sense that me and Prajakta were able to do many scenes together in the same studio. Because reacting to a co-star’s recording is very different than performing with them live. Even the smallest actions you know can affect you in ways you never expected. It’s those little improvisations that bring the scene to life. So we recorded this song in Andheri’s studio.
Tell us a little bit about the character Deben from Desi Down Under.
My character, Deben, is from Mangalore. He really, really wants to be a lifeguard. He’s dealing with his childhood trauma, which really bothers him. So part of the reason he wants to go to Australia is to escape the trauma of the city he lives in, and also for some kind of self-discovery. Deben is a very emotional person who shows his emotions. He also has something for his childhood best friend Minu, which gets sort of treated throughout the course of the show. He is a very passionate, very ambitious person and he is the one who put together this plan to go to Australia. I think Deben and I have a lot in common in terms of our shared passion for what we want to do and our careers.
What’s your favorite thing about experimenting with the Audio Series format?
I think it’s just the challenge of working in a new format. It makes you feel alive as an artist, always challenged, always pushed as an actor, always exploring, never feeling settled. I hate that feeling. I want to keep my head up and stay on the edge of my seat. That’s how I feel when I work on new formats.
Desi Down Under is the second show on Audible India after Sandman. How was the experience of working with them again?
it was beautiful. I think it’s such a beautiful story and I always enjoy working with Audible. Because Audible is like home. The shows they make are so universal and deal with all kinds of emotions. They produce shows in a variety of genres, so I’m really excited about all the content they support and wish I could do this with them more often.
