Tumbbad director spent five years making one of the biggest OTT shows, Gulkanda Tales, now stuck in limbo: ‘I can’t show a single image of it’

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Tumbbad is one of those films that keeps on giving. Eight years after its release, one continues to uncover new readings in the horror-epic tale of greed, directed by Rahi Anil Barve. The filmmaker, now gearing up for the release of his next film, Mayasabha, starring Javed Jaffrey, slated for theaters this Friday, has spent the past eight years juggling multiple projects. One of these was a comedy-period drama series called Gulkanda Tales for Amazon Prime Video. Backed by Raj & DK, the series featured actors like Kunal Kemmu, Patralekha, Amit Mistry, and Zakir Hussain. Although Amazon announced it in 2022, the series is yet to see the light of day.

Barve, in an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, revealed the toll this uncertainty has taken. “After Tumbbad, I spent five years creating Gulkanda Tales. I gave my all, my life’s energy, into it. I created one of the biggest OTT shows and now I can’t show a single image of it,” he said.

Tumbbad Rahi Anil Barve on the sets of Gulkanda Tales.

Reflecting on the origins of the show, Barve recalled, “Gulkanda Tales was originally supposed to be a film, a two-part film. The shoot started in 2019, got delayed because of COVID, and went on till 2023. It was a laugh riot. I created a four-thousand-year-old world, an extremely bizarre world. It’s a show that can’t be made again, and hasn’t been made before.”

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On the current state of the industry and the uncertainty surrounding projects getting the green light, he added, “I keep saying in today’s time, Sacred Games can’t be made. Even if it will get made, they would kill it, they would cancel it, they would destroy it.”

Last year, multiple reports suggested that the streaming platform had shelved Gulkanda Tales, allegedly due to content that wouldn’t sit well with the current socio-political climate. There were also rumors of financial discrepancies in the show’s budgeting. Responding to these claims, both Rahi Anil Barve and Raj & DK took to social media to clarify that the show is very much in the works. They also announced that their next collaboration, Rakht Brahmand for Netflix, is also underway.

Meanwhile, Barve now is preparing to work on the sequel to Tumbbad, titled Pahadpangira.

Anas Arif is a prolific Entertainment Journalist and Cinematic Analyst at The Indian Express, where he specializes in the intersection of Indian pop culture, auteur-driven cinema, and industrial ethics. His writing is defined by a deep-seated commitment to documenting the evolving landscape of Indian entertainment through the lens of critical theory and narrative authorship.
Experience & Career
As a core member of The Indian Express entertainment vertical, Anas has cultivated a unique beat that prioritizes the “craft behind the celebrity.” He has interviewed a vast spectrum of industry veterans, from blockbuster directors like Vijay Krishna Acharya, Sujoy Ghosh, Maneesh Sharma to experimental filmmakers and screenwriters like Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Varun Grover, Rajat Kapoor amongst several others. His career is characterized by a “Journalism of Courage” approach, where he frequently tackles the ethical implications of mainstream cinema and the socio-political subtext within popular media. He is also the host of the YouTube series Cult Comebacks, where he talks to filmmakers about movies that may not have succeeded initially but have, over time, gained a cult following. The show aims to explore films as works of art, rather than merely commercial ventures designed to earn box office revenue.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Anas’s expertise lies in his ability to deconstruct cinematic works beyond surface-level reviews. His focus areas include:

Auteur Studies: Detailed retrospectives and analyses of filmmakers such as Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, and Neeraj Ghaywan, often exploring their central philosophies and creative evolutions.
Cinematic Deconstruction: Examining technical and narrative choices, such as the use of aspect ratios in independent films (Sabar Bonda) or the structural rhythm of iconic soundtracks (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge).
Industrial & Social Ethics: Fearless critique of commercial blockbusters, particularly regarding the promotion of bigoted visions or the marginalization of communities in mainstream scripts.
Exclusive Long-form Interviews: Conducting high-level dialogues with actors and creators to uncover archival anecdotes and future-looking industry insights.

Authoritativeness & Trust
Anas Arif has established himself as a trusted voice by consistently moving away from standard PR-driven journalism. Whether he is interrogating the “mythology of Shah Rukh Khan” in modern sequels or providing a space for independent filmmakers to discuss the “arithmetic of karma,” his work is rooted in objectivity and extensive research. Readers look to Anas for an educated viewpoint that treats entertainment not just as a commodity, but as a critical reflection of the country’s collective conscience. … Read More