Inside The Minds That Brought Rangeen, Amazon's Dark Comedy on Paid Intimacy, to Life
Amir Rizvi and Amardeep Galsin, the two halves of Blue Magic Films, have spent 24 years together, blending humour, warmth, and creative spark.
By Minal Rudra
Published : August 13, 2025 at 5:26 PM IST
In an industry that has been telling stories for over a hundred years, the sight of a male–female directing team is still rare. Rarer still is a collaboration that has lasted 24 years, surviving the test of time, changing formats, and the constant churn of the business.
Amir Rizvi from Allahabad and Amardeep Galsin from Ludhiana met in Mumbai and began their journey in the unglamorous world of hard-hitting documentaries under filmmaker Kabir Khan, later assisting him on Yash Raj Film's Kabul Express. That experience, they say, taught them that cinema can be both escape and resistance.
The creative partnership was never a plan. Amardeep says, “From the beginning, our skills and approaches complemented each other. Even when we took on independent projects, people would call us together for work. Slowly we realised we were already being seen as a team, and then it became a conscious decision to build something together. It is rare to find someone who shares the same passions, vision, and values in life and in filmmaking.” Amir adds, “It’s not about agreeing on everything. Our differences make the work more fruitful. We respect each other’s perspectives and find a way to reach synergy.”
The creative partnership of over two decades has made them finish each other’s thoughts without stepping on each other’s toes. During their conversation with ETV Bharat, the duo didn’t shy away from giving a firsthand taste of what a disagreement between them sounds like. They tease each other easily and, in Amir’s words, “Kaam karte waqt talwāren bhi nikal lete hain.” Amardeep admits, “What irritates me is that he can be a little too nice. Sometimes it’s okay to have rough edges. But I admire his resilience and his ability to make you smile even in the worst situations.” Amir grins, “She’s a workaholic. I always say, aur bhi gham hain zamaane mein kaam ke siwa. But if she takes something on, she will take it to the finish line.”
In 2009, they co-founded Blue Magic Films, a boutique studio under which they have made documentaries, unscripted shows, and branded content for platforms like Discovery, Sony, Star and Viacom. Their biggest non-fiction hit came in 2019 with Roar of the Lion, Hotstar’s top-rated docuseries featuring M.S. Dhoni. Amir directed it, Amardeep developed it.
The name of their banner, Blue Magic Films, has its own story. The name comes from a film that has nothing to do with Indian cinema. Amir smiles as he recalls, “It actually came from American Gangster. In it, there’s a product called Blue Magic and the man selling it is completely passionate about it. I liked that idea of something addictive and deeply believed in. We felt it had a nice ring to it and carried the same spirit we wanted for our work.”
Moving from documentaries to fiction has been a shift, but not a break. Amir says, “Documentaries give deep satisfaction and help build authentic characters. Fiction offers a wider audience, but my documentary experience strengthens it.” Amardeep starts with the story, not the format. “Fiction allows silences and subtext. Documentaries follow the subject. Both have beauty; the story decides which it belongs to.”
With Amazon Prime Video's original series Rangeen, they stepped into fiction for the first time as co-creators, writers, and showrunners. It is satirical, emotional and deeply human, carrying the yin–yang energy they bring to all their stories. Vineet Kumar Singh plays journalist Adarsh Johri. Rajshri Deshpande is Naina, his wife, who feels unseen in the marriage and hires Sunny, a gigolo played by Taaruk Raina.
Choosing Rangeen as their first fiction was not the safe route. The series explores female desire, paid intimacy, and taboos that mainstream Indian storytelling often avoids. Amardeep says, “We have always been drawn to human contradictions, stories that live in the cracks. Rangeen intrigued us because of its irony and search for connection in a transactional space. People think of that world as just parties, men and sex, but when you approach it with curiosity, you discover it’s far more layered. I wanted to break preconceived notions and explore the space between judgment and empathy.” Amir traces his entry point to a real news story about a doctor who wanted to become a gigolo and ended up kidnapped. “Initially, I saw it as satire, but it became about something deeper as how society judges sexuality harshly, especially women’s choices. One question stayed with me: why would a woman, who doesn’t have to pay for sex, choose to?”
In one of the telling scenes, which is also in the trailer, Adarsh is seen looking at himself in the mirror and saying, “Agar woh kar sakti hai toh tum bhi kar sakte ho, you have to do.” It feels like a reaction to Naina’s actions, but it hides his denial about what drove her there. Amir connects it to a college memory. “I saw two guys fighting over a girl. One kept saying, ‘She’s mine,’ without thinking whether he had any claim over her. That sense of ownership was assumed. Adarsh’s ego gets hurt, and that pushes him onto a path he should not have taken.” Amardeep says they wanted to explore his vulnerability. “It was not about gender wars. It was about what happens when the story you have told yourself about who you are as a man gets shattered in one moment.”
Conflicts between them were inevitable. Amir says, “Sometimes the gender perspective came into play. My view of Adarsh was that he wasn’t sharif guy he was projecting to be. On the outside he looked it, but inside he was messy and insecure. You can’t write that neatly in a scene, it’s in the silences.” Amardeep admits she took time to understand him. “My first thought was, why would this guy do this? Unless it was for money, I couldn’t see the motive. Research changed that. Many men in that space weren’t doing it for money but for adventure or to connect with others who were equally broken. It made me realise how complex the human mind is.”
Casting Vineet Singh as Adarsh was an easy decision. Amir says, “When Mukesh Chhabra sent us his profile, we instantly felt this is the guy. We waited for him through delays and setbacks because he loved the material.” Naina, however, came from a place of rebellion. Amardeep recalls, “When we shared the pitch, everyone questioned Naina’s choice. No one questioned Adarsh signing up to be a gigolo. Why are women always expected to explain themselves? We didn’t want Naina to give a monologue of victimhood. Her silence was a choice. She lives with her guilt, processes it, and decides it won’t define her.”
The most common audience question was whether Naina would redeem herself or apologise. Amardeep says, “If someone’s way of watching Naina becomes a mirror to their own judgement of women, so be it.” Rajshri Deshpande, who plays Naina, was the first to see the character’s power beyond screen time. “She saw the strength in a woman who isn’t apologetic and had the courage to take that on, knowing she’d be judged,” Amardeep says. Amir adds, “When an actor truly owns a character, it shows. Rajshri, Vineet, and Taaruk all brought deep belief to their roles.”
In a crowded OTT market full of thrillers and crime dramas, Rangeen came with an intent to be a dark comedy about intimacy. Amardeep says, “You can’t develop an original voice if you’re chasing trends.” Amir remembers that when they pitched to Amazon in 2018, crime was dominant. “They wanted something different. We started with drama, then humour seeped in naturally. I bring quirk, Amardeep brings emotional depth, and the mix shapes our style.”
While working on Rangeen, their definitions of intimacy have evolved. Amardeep says, “The deepest intimacy is emotional, and it is that when two minds connect. Physical intimacy is short-lived. Emotional intimacy is understanding silences and staying through the worst. That’s what is missing between Naina and Adarsh.” Amir admits, “I thought intimacy was mostly physical, but now I feel that it can be experienced even without touching someone. Writing these characters made me understand emotional intimacy more deeply...it made me a better person."
They are processing the reception of Rangeen with clarity. Amardeep says, “The show deals with uncomfortable truths, so mixed reactions were expected. Feedback sharpens our instincts.” Amir adds, “You adapt to changing circumstances but keep the essence intact.”
As for what they want viewers to take away, Amardeep hopes for “the value of emotional intimacy and the acceptance that life doesn’t offer easy answers.” Amir wanted to show that the gigolo lifestyle is not glamorous. “It is dark and damaging. As creators, I believe that we must avoid romanticising harmful realities.”
When asked what lies ahead after Rangeen, the Blue Magic Films duo reveal that they are juggling three very different stories. A relationship-driven crime thriller, a period crime drama, and a buddy love drama. Each is tonally far removed from Rangeen, yet all are rooted in the human contradictions, a theme that they love exploring.
When they are not working, Amir enjoys family time, films, and the company of his cousins’ children. Amardeep loves slow travel, living in a new city without rushing to tick off tourist spots. It has been a while, she admits, but she plans to return to it. For now, the journey they are most invested in is the one that takes them deeper into stories like Rangeen and stories that ask questions without worrying if the answers will make everyone comfortable.
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