Why Sumeet Vyas chose to play director rather than actor in his streaming show ‘Raat Jawaan Hai’

Sumeet Vyas is arguably one of India’s first streaming stars, appearing in TVF’s YouTube show Permanent Roommates way back in 2014. Vyas has since been in several series, in addition to appearing in films.

His latest streaming effort sees him behind the camera. Raat Jawaan Hai, which Vyas developed along with writer Khyati Anand-Puthran, is a comedy about three childhood friends navigating the challenges of being first-time parents.

Barun Sobti, Priya Bapat and Anjali Anand play characters who are confronted with a range of seriocomic situations, from finding a babysitter to picking the right preschool. Apart from modern parenting woes, the series also examines in a light-hearted vein young adults who feel that life is passing them by while they fulfil their duties.

The eight-episode Hindi series will be premiered on Sony LIV on October 11. Vyas – who has a candid, assertive and droll manner – spoke to Scroll about what attracted him to Raat Jawaan Hai, his eclectic cast and his views on the evolution of streaming.

Here are edited excerpts from the interview.

How did you get involved with Raat Jawaan Hai?

Khyati approached me with the script. Her son and my son play in the same park. I knew her as Kabir’s mumma.

One fine day, she said she was writing a script and would I be interested...

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