The upcoming sports drama, Glory, boasts a strong cast led by Pulkit Samrat, Divyenndu, and Suvinder Vicky. The show also features Jannat Zubair Rahmani in a key role. The 24-year-old former child star is making a comeback to long-format shows after seven years, and her fans are thrilled. The YouTube teaser and trailer for Glory are filled with comments from her fans praising her. But showrunner Karan Anshuman reveals he was unaware of Jannat’s social media fame before she was cast. In a chat with Hindustan Times prior to the trailer launch, Karan spoke about the show’s casting and how Jannat came on board.
‘We don’t cast because of social media numbers’
Jannat was a prominent child star, appearing in films like Hichki and popular shows such as Phulwa and Bharat Ka Veer Putra–Maharana Pratap. Over the years, she has amassed over 50 million followers on Instagram, more than even the three Khans of Bollywood and several A-list stars. But Karan says this was not a factor in her casting. “We don’t cast because of social media numbers. That’s not a thing. For us, it’s always an audition. Can you do it? And the most deserving person who has the best audition wins the part. That’s something we should be clear about.”
Karan recalls that Jannat’s audition for Glory was impressive, and he was unaware of her social media fame at the time. “So, I saw (her audition), and I was like, “Wow, this is great.” And then I was informed that she has an army of followers, and I thought, “Okay, that’s great. It’s going to help the show”. But again, for me, that was not the important part. For me, it was about how she’s going to be on set. It was a great audition to begin with,” he says.
Karan adds that even though Jannat was the youngest among the principal cast of Glory, working with her was a ‘learning experience’ for him. He explains, “What I found really fascinating working with her is the just the level of confidence this generation brings. Everyone from Suvinder Vicky to the other actors, if I had something to say to them, they would hear me out. But she always had her reasons, and it was always a discussion of how to approach a certain scene. Let me tell you, a lot of times she won out because I saw what she did and thought it worked for me. So, it was very much a learning experience for me as well, working with her. She’s supremely talented and professional.”
Glory is a thriller set in the world of boxing in Haryana. The sports drama-meets-whodunnit stars Pulkit Samrat and Divyenndu as two brothers who return to their hometown after their sister, played by Jannat, meets with a mishap. The show also stars Suvinder Vicky, Sikandar Kher, Ashutosh Rana, and Sayani Gupta. Glory premieres on Netflix on May 1.
